Do you like your big screen theater-vision television screen? Well, prepare for an all expenses paid guilt trip courtesy of the Environmental Protection Agency, which says that anything over 50 inches is “a tad gluttonous.”
A report from CNET News notes the EPA claim that there are 275M television sets in use in America, and they account for more than 50B kiloWatt hours of energy, or 4% of all household electricity use.
The bigger the set, the bigger the draw on the electrical current, and the EPA is set to put stricter standards for television receiver energy use into play, meaning it will be harder for manufacturers to earn an EPA Energy Star designation as a green, energy-saving option available to consumers.
Energy Star’s Katharine Kaplan told CNET that “anyone who feels the need to buy a television bigger than a 50-inch is being a tad gluttonous.” And in a letter to manufacturers, she wrote, “The issue in this case is what TV sizes can the federal government credibly designate as preferable from an energy and environmental perspective. This has become an important issue as the sizes of TVs and energy use continue to grow.”
RBR/TVBR observation: We just thought up our latest invention idea – a television hooked to a small generator hooked to a stationary bicycle. Save the environment AND battle obesity all at once. You may wish to move on to the next article. Us? We’re headed to the patent office, pronto.
