Energy Consumption Labels Coming Soon to a TV Near You
FTC makes it easier to shop on energy use as well as price
You've seen them on refrigerators, you've carefully peeled them off washing machines. And now they're coming to a TV near you--they being EnergyGuide labels. This means shoppers can compare energy consumption--which can vary greatly between TVs, even those with the same technology and screen size, as easily as they compare price. (One model of 42-inch Philips LCD, for example, sucks up $40.35 worth of electricity in a year, according to CNET, a 42-inch LG LCD will use just $20.66 worth of electricity in that same year.) The U.S. Federal Trade Commissionannounced the new rule today, it goes into effect on 10 May 2011.
Tekla S. Perry is a senior editor at IEEE Spectrum. Based in Palo Alto, Calif., she's been covering the people, companies, and technology that make Silicon Valley a special place for more than 40 years. An IEEE member, she holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Michigan State University.