California Consumers Cut Costs by Enforcing New Energy Efficient Standards - The UpStream

Need a way to save a few extra bucks on your energy bill? Well, it looks like California has come up with a way to do just that. A new plan concocted by the California Energy Commission plans to save the sinking state $1 billion a year by reducing energy use in large quantities.

Beginning in early 2011, California will be the first state to enforce energy efficiency standards on television sets. This could save a huge amount of money for consumers and put the state back on its feet. Televisions from rear-projection sets to plasma high definition sets will be included in this mandate, but it is NOT required that consumers buy a new television. "The real winners of these new TV energy efficiencies are California consumers," according to Karen Douglas, Energy Commission Chairman.

Companies will no longer be permitted to sell TVs consuming an egregious amount of energy. New models are expected to consume 1/3 less electricity within a year and 49 percent less electricity by 2013, according to the new standards. Thanks to the increase use of televisions in households, energy consumption has risen 8-10% in 2008, and may even hit 18% in the next 15 years, California has decided to do something about it.

Some are debating the standards, declaring that "they needlessly limit consumer freedom and may result in the loss of retail jobs and sales tax revenue." But with the whole world attempting to go green, enforcing this may not be such a bad thing, and could save a lot of money in the long run.