Green Electronics – Do They Matter
An Open Question to Readers…
A consumer group in Britain has released a report on the state of energy efficiency in consumer electronics (here, pdf). They did some mystery shopping to see how, if at all, retailers positioned energy saving products:
But the stores visited by our researchers told much the same story as the websites. We found virtually no information on display in the consumer electronics sections, or elsewhere in the stores, about how much energy consumer electronics products use. We surveyed around 350 different models, from eight companies, in ten different stores.
In the United States, you see some momentum building on the “green CE” front now that Wal-Mart is now making CE manufacturers fill out an environmental scorecard.
With concerns growing about global warming and peak oil, squeezing greater efficiencies out of consumer electronics is bound to be a larger issue.
Or is it?
Do consumers really care if their electronics are more efficient (and by “care” I mean willing to pay more for), or is this just a fad driven by a sliver of our hand-wringing elite?
I think this is more than an academic question. Depending on how the climate debate and the larger issue of energy security plays out, it could be a legislative issue as well. CEA is certainly trying to stay out in front of this issue.
But in the day-in/day-out world of CE retailing, is this really a big deal? It would be interesting to know just how retailers feel about this. Is a product’s efficiency a purchase motivator? (Judging by plasma TV sales, we may safely conclude: no.)
If it’s not now, will it be in the future?
(Note: if you’re interested, I mean really interested, in this topic, CEA underwrote a massive study on energy efficiency in consumer electronics. All 147 pages of its wonky goodness can be found here.)
JohnnyGreen commented:
A very common and misguided perception about buying “green” is to expect lower performance and a higher price; two perceptions that couldn’t be more diametrically opposed to the leading purchasing influence for electronics. The reality is that purchasing a green electronics product is a higher performance choice and a money savings choice. Not only does a green electronics or computer product significantly save on energy costs but it can also bring added value from greener technologies that can improve a products performance or extend its life. A case in point is Samsungs new line of Slim Depth DLP HDTV’s powered by LED light engine technology that replaces traditional lamp-based projection designs to provide a dramatic improvement in picture quality, reliability and longevity - up to 4 times longer. In addition Sony, Toshiba and Panasonic are constantly improving their laptop battery technologies which not only extend a devices operating time but are made of cleaner materials that are les harmful to the environment. Until a product’s green-specs are positioned and heightened to the same level of awareness as tech-specs, consumers will not consider the green attributes of electronics product to be performance benefits. John Robson, President Green Electronics www.greenelectronics.com
JohnnyGreen commented:
A very common and misguided perception about buying "green" is to
expect lower performance and a higher price; two perceptions that
couldn't be more diametrically opposed to the leading purchasing
influence for electronics. The reality is that purchasing a green
electronics product is a higher performance choice and a money
savings choice. Not only does a green electronics or computer
product significantly save on energy costs but it can also bring
added value from greener technologies that can improve a products
performance or extend its life. A case in point is Samsungs new
line of Slim Depth DLP HDTV's powered by LED light engine
technology that replaces traditional lamp-based projection designs
to provide a dramatic improvement in picture quality, reliability
and longevity - up to 4 times longer. In addition Sony, Toshiba and
Panasonic are constantly improving their laptop battery
technologies which not only extend a devices operating time but are
made of cleaner materials that are les harmful to the environment.
Until a product's green-specs are positioned and heightened to the
same level of awareness as tech-specs, consumers will not consider
the green attributes of electronics product to be performance
benefits. John Robson, President Green Electronics
www.greenelectronics.com
