California is highly focused on being eco-friendly and conservative.  They almost have to be due to the level of smog which hangs around much of the state, and the sheer volume of people who live, work and visit there.

The state legislature is looking to provide a C.A.F.E style program for television manufacturers with regards to power consumption.  This will help prevent people from being shocked as they energy consumption increases as time goes by and as people buy bigger and bigger televisions.

The idea is pretty daft considering the changes being made in technology.  It’s true that people are buying bigger televisions but technology is also stepping in to make the devices consume less power.  With the increased usage of LED and OLED technology power consumption could drop by as much as 50% over traditional HDTVs.  In the meantime, it may be better for manufacturers to have to conform to Energy Star requirements currently placed on appliances.

This would allow someone to see at the point of purchase how much energy their electronics will use based on “average usage.”  If they willingly volunteer to buy a power hungry unit knowing it will cost them more, it’s no different than purchasing a higher volume washer or bigger air conditioner knowing the same thing will happen.  Hopefully this doesn’t go any further than it already has.

[Source: LA Times]

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