Sacramento, Calif. – The California Energy
Commission (CEC) Wednesday voted to delay a vote on proposed energy-efficiency
standards for televisions after receiving a 91-page protest from the Consumer
Electronics Association, which the San Jose Mercury News reported was received
in the final minutes of a 45-day public comment period.
The CEA’s
comments included a detailed analysis of the commission’s energy usage
assumptions, and challenged some of the CEC’s mathematical methodology.
The CEC proposed energy-efficiency standards for televisions in
September after an 18-month public process involving utility companies, TV
manufacturers, environmental advocates, retailers and consumer groups.
Utility companies including Pacific Gas & Electric and the
Sacramento Municipal Utility District, and several environmental groups, have supported
the proposed state regulations, but the CEA strongly opposes them.
The proposed standards, which could have an impact on how TV
manufacturers ultimately design and price televisions for the rest of the
country, would require televisions measuring up to 58 inches to use 30 percent
less electricity by 2011 and 50 percent less by 2013. Many televisions on the
market today already meet or exceed the commission’s proposed requirements for 2013.
