EU may ban plasma TVs

The European Union is continuing on its quest to slash home energy use. Months after it announced a ban on incandescent bulbs starting in 2010, the EU is now set to effectively ban large plasma TVs.

The countries are close to agreeing upon new energy performance standards for TVs that large plasma displays will not meet. Plasma models typically use about 50 percent more energy than LCD models. The new standards, which will go into effect this spring, will pull the least efficient TVs from shelves and start a labeling system that ranks the efficiency of the remaining models.

While the U.S. as a whole won't be adopting similar standards anytime soon, California might. The California Energy Commission has proposed state standards that would require TVs to use 50 percent less energy by 2013. The California proposal is more strict than the EU standards. If the state does adopt the new standards, it could save 600 MW in energy use.

I know that many people are uncomfortable with the banning of products, but if the ban is a result of a demand for better efficiency throughout an industry, I'm all for it. Now, in the EU, electronics companies will have a higher standard to meet and there will be better products because of it.

via Green Inc.