The crisp images shown on flat-screen televisions come at a cost: major strain on the power grid. Beginning in 2011, California regulators will try to ease that strain by requiring flat-screen TV retailers to sell only energy-efficient models.
The new regulations, which are expected to pass in mid-2009, will reduce the state's energy needs by the equivalent of approximately 86,400 homes.
That's not surprising, as LCD TVs use about 43 percent more electricity than conventional tube TVs. Plasma TVs use three times as much power as conventional sets.
California's regulations will be phased in over two years. Tier 1 will begin on January 1, 2011. A stricter second tier will go into effect on January 1, 2013.
Television manufacturers protest that the regulations will limit customer choice, but consumers probably won't complain when they notice their shrinking electric bills.