Energy Conservation Group Promotes TV Contest

By Greg Tarr -- TWICE, 10/19/2011

Portland, Ore. - The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance presented evidence Tuesday that its super-efficient TV initiative, called Energy Forward, has had a significant impact on Northwest U.S.-based retailers stocking and selling super-efficient TVs.

The NEEA, working in tandem with Northwest utilities, said it is using the excuse of the upcoming holiday selling season to raise awareness about Energy Forward TVs by using a variety of social-media outreach efforts. This will include information streamed on Twitter, as well as an Energy Forward contest offering a super-efficient TV giveaway that has launched on Facebook.

The Facebook contest, which is called the Big Picture Photo Contest, invites residents of Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington to enter to vote for their favorite captions. Five winners will receive new Energy Forward Samsung LED TVs.

 Energy Forward was developed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) working in cooperation with the NEEA, environmental groups and utility companies to help consumers identify the most energy-efficient, technologically advanced televisions on the market, the group said.

Qualifying TVs have a distinctive orange Energy Forward sticker indicating that it was engineered to be the very best of Energy Star -- the U.S. government-backed standard for energy efficiency.

 "We designed Energy Forward to make it easy for consumers to find TVs that deliver the most technologically advanced performance and energy efficiency," said Stephanie Fleming, NEEA residential sector manager. "Now we're expanding on that effort, using social media to build a consumer community who want to increase their energy-efficiency literacy and be ‘Energy Forward' when it comes to televisions."

 The NEEA also collaborates with its partners to develop more stringent product specifications, and works with retailers to stock and promote the most efficient TVs.

"The goal is to accelerate the market adoption of super-efficient TVs in the Northwest and to raise the bar for energy efficiency in TVs on a national scale," according to an NEEA statement.

 Since the Energy Forward program began at the end of 2009, retailers representing 80 percent of TVs sold in the Northwest have partnered with the NEEA to promote Energy Forward TVs in their stores and to their consumers, the group said.

 At the start of 2011, energy-efficient TVs that were promoted with the Energy Forward sticker represented 12 percent of televisions sold in the Northwest by participating retailers. NEEA said it anticipates that by the end of 2011, 35 percent to 40 percent of TVs sold in the region will be Energy Forward.

The NEEA claimed that from 2009 through 2010, the NEEA's regional television initiative saved the region approximately 13.7 average megawatts in energy savings, the equivalent to powering 10,453 homes each year.

According to the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, 85 percent of the region's new demand for electricity over the next 20 years can be met by using energy more efficiently. The council estimates some of the biggest energy savings could come from more Northwest residents choosing super-efficient televisions.

The group said Energy Forward TVs can be purchased at major retailers, including Best Buy, Costco, Kmart, Sam's Club, Sears and Walmart, and a range of regional and independent retailers throughout the Northwest.