UPDATE, 11/20: Added details about Sharp Electronic TVs. See below.
The California Energy Commission today unanimously voted to force TV manufacturers to build more energy-efficient big TVs by 2011, reports the Associated Press.
The move affects new TVs up to 58 inches. The change would reduce TV energy consumption by around 33 percent by Jan. 1, 2011, and then 49 percent by 2013. Currently, only a quarter of the TVs on the market today meet this standard, reports AP.
Here is a chart of the new standards: CLICK HERE.
TVs larger than 58 inches will be allowed to use more power.
“This is a really big deal, because once standards are in effect it will cut California’s power bill by $1 billion a year and avoid the need to build a large, 500 megawatt power plant,” said Noah Horowitz, senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council in the AP story. “We hope in the long term, every TV sold in America will be just as efficient as those sold in California.”
UPDATE, 2:45 p.m.: Here’s an image Associated Press just released to graphically describe the new energy savings mandate: Read the rest of this entry »
Going green doesn’t always mean that you’ll spend more money. It could mean saving money. And I do like saving money effortlessly.
They’re out there, Vargas says, but there are reasons for the lack of consumer awareness. Initially, Energy Star labels weren’t required. Now they appear when a computer boots up, plus they are on product literature and packaging.
Here's a list of TV/mobile companies helping consumers one tweet at a time. 
