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A project of Common Dreams

For Immediate Release
Contact:

Serena Ingre, work: 415-875-0702, singre@nrdc.org

California Adopts the Most Advanced TV Efficiency Standards in the World

New Standards Will Reduce Consumer Costs and Electricity Use

SAN FRANCISCO

By a unanimous 5-0 vote, today the
California Energy Commission adopted the most advanced TV energy
efficiency standards in the world. This move will ensure all
televisions sold in California will use less energy and reduce consumer
energy costs, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.

The
new standards will make new TVs 30-50 percent more efficient and put
almost a billion dollars a year back into the California economy in the
form of lower electricity bills. The electricity saved will be equal to
the amount used by all the homes in Oakland and Anaheim annually. The
new standard will also eliminate the need for California to build a
new, large-sized 500 MW power plant, reducing carbon emissions equal to
removing 500,000 cars from the road.

Following is a statement by Noah Horowitz, senior scientist with the NRDC:

"With
today's decision, Californians will still get that great "hi def"
picture without suffering the burden of skyrocketing electricity bills.

"By
simply establishing minimum energy efficiency standards for new TVs, we
can cut the state's electricity use by almost 1 percent. The benefits
are massive as we'll save the same amount of electricity each year as
that used by all the homes in Anaheim and Oakland. It's a simple
solution with major payback for both consumers and the State.

"With
today's pioneering decision, California is once again leading the way
on energy efficiency standards. The newly adopted California TV
standards will be the most advanced in the world. If history repeats
itself, we expect many policy makers around the world to establish
similar standards in the not too distant future."

For more information read NRDC's TV efficiency standards Q&A at: https://docs.nrdc.org/energy/files/ene_09091801b.pdf and check Noah Horowitz's blog.

NRDC works to safeguard the earth--its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. We combine the power of more than three million members and online activists with the expertise of some 700 scientists, lawyers, and policy advocates across the globe to ensure the rights of all people to the air, the water, and the wild.

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