Many Americans love their TVs, and it must be “love” otherwise why would we spend so much on something that takes up so much real estate on the living room wall! Until recently they used a lot of energy too.
According to a recent posting from the NYT, “Incorporating LED and laser technology has helped slash the energy consumption of new TV models by nearly 50 percent within the last three years.” But really it’s not efficiency claims selling these sets in some parts of the country, its “technology” or “better picture quality”.
What sets these TVs apart is the Energy Forward label which identifies a small group of the most efficient Energy Star appliances. The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, a utility supported non-profit organization based in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana, is behind the label and they have taken an interesting approach. Since TV watchers are prone to “geek out” by wanting the best set, it seems leveraging this “weakness” and making the best sets energy efficient is a win-win situation.
Collectively, small savings add up when everyone tunes in to the evening news on a high efficiency TV. The important shift recognized here is that comfort and efficiency don’t have to conflict. We fix homes to make them more comfortable. It just so happens that is a wonderful side effect of reducing energy usage as well!
Peace,
Jason
