Pat Brennan over at the OCRegister’s Green OC blog mentions this interesting offer: Diamond Case Designs in Anaheim is offering a $300 to $1,200 credit off new Energy Star TVs to anyone who brings in an old TV during an upcoming recycling event. The price range for the TVs being offered is $1,599 to $4,999; with the discounts, it would be $1,299 to $3,799.
Read the story on Pat’s blog, “Cash for clunkers — TV clunkers, that is.”
UPDATE, 4 p.m.: Another local TV manufacturer chimes in that it exceeds the proposed requirements. See Mitsubishi update in bold below.
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In an effort to ban the sale of energy inefficient TVs, the California Energy Commission today released its final draft to amend the state’s Appliance Efficiency Standards code.
The change would reduce TV energy consumption by 33 percent by January 1, 2011, and then 49 percent by 2013. A final vote is expected in November.
The changes affects TVs sold after Jan. 1, 2011. To date, 850 TV models already meet the 2011 standard, while 231 meet the 2013 standard, according to the commission. Here are the changes:
TV companies have already improved the efficiency of their TVs. Irvine-based Vizio has a whole green effort, starting with last fall’s EcoTV, which exceeds Energy Star 3.0 requirements by 15 percent. A second TV, the VF551XVT, uses 50 percent less energy than current Energy Star standards.
Samsung plans to release the Luxia brand, which uses 40 percent less power than traditional LCDs. Available TVs in that line appear to use the latest LED technology to brighten screens and use less energy. Sony has the Eco Bravia line, which also use 40 percent less energy then the rest of the company’s LCD TV line.
**UPDATE: Mitsubishi TVs, also based in Irvine, also reports that it is ahead of the regulations. The company’s LaserVue TV operates at 135 watts, which is one-third the power of today’s LCD TVs, and one-fourth the power of plasma TVs.
The Energy Commission will hold a public hearing on October 13 in Sacramento (here is a link to the meeting). Consumers and businesses can express their sentiment by sending an e-mail to docket@energy.state.ca.us. A vote is expected November 4.
Read earlier stories:
Green Tech stories:
More green stories from the Register’s Green O.C. blog:
This month, Gadgetress’ summer intern Sandra Lee is posting a tech bargain, tip or fun fact every day at 4 p.m. Short, sweet and simple: It’s the SleeSpot!
You could recycle your old cell phone but if it still works, why not make some money from it? NextWorth, an electronics recycler, is now accepting all cell phones. If the phone still works, NextWorth will send you a check, credit your PayPal account or ship a Target or Amazon gift card. If it doesn’t work, the company will send you a pre-paid envelope to ship the phone back to them for proper disposal. Win, win!
Got a tip for the SLEEspot? Tell me about it at slee@ocregister.com.
It’s almost finally here, National Cell Phone Recycling Week starts Monday. You’ve been waiting for it, haven’t you? What’s that, never heard of it?
I felt the same way. With relatively little digging, I discovered that it’s a brand new nationally designated week created by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which informed the public about the special 2009 event on April 2.
Normally, I’m a big mocker of made-up holidays, but since this one deals with cell phones, it seemed like a good time to remind readers what to do with their old phones.
There are several alternatives to trashing a cell phone that can help the earth and, possibly, mankind. And because of the new NCPR week, most of the major cell phone companies are having their own events to make it more convenient to consumers who want to recycle.
All the major carriers — Verizon Wireless, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint — will accept old phones at the stores. Some will also accept them by mail. Specifically:
The EPA also offers 3 things to do before you give up your phone:
More on cell phones and green technology:
Did you know it’s National Cleaning Week? I have no idea when this started (although I found one mention dating back to 2001) or who decides what events get to be “national.” It’s probably some marketing association.
That brings me to the marketing folks at Boost Mobile in Irvine. The mobile service company is taking advantage of the week by offering customers a way to reuse, recycle or share old Boost Mobile phones.
To reuse an old phone or give it away, Boost offers a starter kit for $19.99, which includes a SIM card and $10 credit. Insert the card into any old Boost or Nextel phone and the phone comes back to life. Users will have to pay for more minutes to continue using the phone.
While it’s not an excellent deal since Boost’s prepaid plans don’t have an activation fee anyway (shouldn’t Boost offer this for free during National Cleaning Week?), at least you won’t have to fork over money for a new phone.
But if you just want to ditch the phone, Boost will take it off your hands for free. Just go to this page and print out the postage-paid shipping label. Working phones will be reused by developing markets, while non-working phones will be stripped and parts recycled.
Better yet, this isn’t just for Boost customers but anyone needing to unload old phones.
But speaking of recycling phones, I’ve touched on this topic before. The updated excerpt from my earlier “Guide to recycling e-Waste:”
Cell phones: Send your phone to The Collective Good or you can drop off any brand of phone or accessory at your local AT&T store. More options on the EPA’s eCycling site.
Before you donate: Erase all your cell-phone info with free tools from ReCellular.
More on cell-phones: Check out the Gadgetress Guide to local cell phone services. Latest mobile-news headlines:
I’ve been meaning to tackle the whole big-screen TV debate but reporter Brian Joseph beat me to it. I’m reposting to this blog even though I don’t really believe it will ever happen.
Joseph, our Sacramento reporter and a contributor to The OC Register’s Watchdog blog, is reporting latest stunt by the California Energy Commission to propose more energy efficient TVs. A potential result: TVs with screens larger than 40 inches could be banned. Read his update: “State considers ban on big screen TVs”
He even includes an e-mail address to voice your support … or disgust: Title24@energy.state.ca.us
Chances of this becoming a reality? None, imho. Do you really think California will ban TVs that are larger than 40 inches? If anything, TV manufacturers will figure out how to make big screens use less energy. And some already have. See my earlier story, “A TV that uses less energy? Vizio unveils the EcoTV.”
Earlier around the web:
More TV news: Check out the Gadgetress Guide to local TV services. Latest TV services headlines:
Bring your poor VCRs, your tired analog TVs and your piles of electronic junk to Newport Beach today for a free recycling event.
Where: Mariners Elementary School, 2100 Mariners Drive in Newport Beach
When: Saturday, February 28 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Why: It’s against the law to toss old televisions, computers and more in the trash because they can leak toxic substances into our water supply. So let Newport Beach and Goodwill of Orange County handle the waste.
Accepted: working and non-working personal computers, laptops, cell phones, telephones, fax machines, computer peripherals (such as monitors, keyboards, mice, printers, scanners and cables), consumer electronics (including radios, tape players, VCRs, stereo equipment and PDAs), and televisions of any size.
More info: 949-644-3055
More on green technology:
The Consumer Electronics Association, best known for hosting the annual tech show CES every January, named a handful of Orange County companies today as finalists for its “2009 Mark of Excellence Awards” for custom home electronics. While there is a ton of competition, O.C. has a good showing:
Best Control System:
NevoS70 Controller (pictured on right) from Universal Electronics in Cypress. This super-sized all-in-one remote can control everything from your stereo system to computers on the home network.
Best Green Product, Service, or Corporate Policy
D-Link Systems in Fountain Valley, nominated for its corporate policy, which includes building Energy Star-approved products, and supporting local recycling, reuse and reclamation of consumer goods. Offers “green Ethernet” products, which put unused cables in sleep mode.
![Fabrik’s [re]drive is made from bamboo](http://gadgetress.freedomblogging.com/files/2008/07/fabrikredriver2882-web.thumbnail.jpg)
SimpleTech, a Fabrik Company, in Santa Ana, introduced the [re]drive (on left) last year made partly from bamboo grown near its manufacturing plant in China. The drive also has a fanless cooling system and a low-powered drive and an Energy Start adapter to help cut energy usage by 90 percent over comparable drives.
Best Video display
LaserVue TV from Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America, Inc. in Irvine. A new type of flat TV that uses laser technology to produce the video, which is touted as offering twice the color while using half the power as comparably sized TVs.
For a complete list of finalists, visit www.CE.org/MOE. Winners will be announced on March 13, 2009 at the Electronic House Expo Sprint 2009 in Orlando, FL.
Recent Gadgetress stories:
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 The North Orange County Computer Club answers your tech questions. Visit the PC Club page and the Stump archives. |
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Here's a list of TV/mobile companies helping consumers one tweet at a time. 
