EPA Moves on TV Spec Revision Using Draft IEC Test
The EPA is ready to revise its specification for TVs, it said Mon. The trigger is the availability of an International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) draft standard for measuring power use by TVs and other audio and video equipment.
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Calling the IEC document a “milestone,” EPA Program Mgr. Katharine Kaplan said it puts EPA’s effort into “higher gear.” EPA’s revisions will address TVs’ “on” mode power use; the current 1 w standard covers only standby mode. The agency expects to have the final TV specification by the end of Nov. It will take effect in Sept. 2008.
The IEC test will “accurately and fairly” gauge TV active mode power use, the EPA said. IEC is allowing EPA to share the draft with Energy Star stakeholders before it’s published officially so the agency can work on its own standard, Kaplan said. Parties seeking access to the IEC standard and test-clip will be expected to share data with the agency, she said: “This is the sole reason that the [IEC] draft standard and test-clip have been made available to EPA.”
Participants should test a range of the latest, most popular models to get data “truly representative of the products available in the marketplace now and for the coming year,” Kaplan said. Testing is not mandatory, she told us: “What is mandatory is that if they want to see a draft of this test procedure and play around with it, they have to be interested in sharing data with us.” To be considered for the specification, test data must be submitted by May 7, after which parties won’t have access to the test clip. To maintain confidentiality, data made public will be “masked,” Kaplan said. The CEA will “collect and aggregate” test data on behalf of manufacturers, she added.
The EPA is exploring ways to make more information available to consumers, it said in response to comments on its TV specification proceeding. A commentator suggested the agency continue its involvement in the FTC EnergyGuide label revision process to include TVs and that EPA include “absolute” energy consumption on the Energy Star label itself. EPA said it now presents energy use information on its website for “interested parties.” Prodded by a commentator, the agency said it will “carefully consider” for inclusion in its new TV specification VCRs, DVD players and recorders, set-top boxes and other peripherals, defined by whether the device draws power from the TV.
The EPA will work on alternatives to physical labeling, out of concern about environmental impact of more labels and printing, it said. The agency will “clearly differentiate” among products under the TV specification and those under the Energy Star monitor specification, it said, answering comments urging that the spec for large IT monitors be merged with that for TVs, since as monitors get larger the 2 will overlap. The EPA didn’t name commentators.
The IEC test procedure represents another industry-led standards energy efficiency effort in the CE industry, said Douglas Johnson, CEA senior dir.-technology policy. The CE industry was instrumental in getting the EPA to participate in IEC standards development, he said. He said CEA will combine data from manufacturers to update its study of consumer electronics energy use and share the data with the EPA for its TV spec revision. Preliminary results of that study were announced in the fall.