Green Groups Oppose Electronic TV Labeling As Substitute For Physical

The FTC should reject CE industry proposals to make electronics energy-use labeling for TVs an alternative to physical labels, environmental groups said. Citing shrinking or disappearing bezels in new TVs and the potential for physical labels to cause damage to the surface of TV sets, some TV makers and the CEA had urged the commission to allow electronic labeling as an option, the green groups said in comments. The FTC has started a rulemaking to require EnergyGuide labeling for TVs.

Australian regulators considered and rejected electronic labeling as an alternative to physical labeling, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) said. One of the issues raised in Australia over that proposal was it would entail all TVs having a retail display mode, the group said. “Some manufacturers did not support the requirement out of concern about the potential for screen burn or crystal freeze effects if the same image was repeatedly displayed in the same format over long periods of time.” One solution to that problem proposed by manufacturers was to have the images displayed for short periods, said the Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP). But that’s an “outcome that was counter to the objective of the program to inform consumers.” Physical labeling via a swing tag or adhesive has been “every effective” in Australia, NEEP said.

The commission should require labeling on packaging in addition to on the sets, ACEEE said: “Experience with other labeled products demonstrates the ease with which labels can be removed or become detached from products on display.” Also, many retailers display boxed products on the sales floor, sometimes removed from where TVs are displayed, it said. “This has become more common as the overall size and weight of TVs has dropped dramatically.” As for concerns raised by manufacturers over possible damage to sets from cling labels, ACEEE said 3M had looked into the issue and “found that the use of a thermally-stable adhesive should be safe for use on TV screens without causing damage."

The Natural Resources Defense Council wanted the FTC make it obligatory for TV makers and retailers to “prominently display” an electronic version of the EnergyGuide label on their Web site. The group cited research that showed 10 percent of TVs are purchased online and that many consumers do online research before buying a TV at retail. The commission shouldn’t delay the TV labeling program until the Department of Energy finalizes its test procedure, NRDC said. Instead, it should initially adopt the Energy Star test procedure and then convert to the DOE test method once it’s ready, the group said.

Consumers Union said the proposed TV usage rate of five hours a day in “on” mode and 19 hours a day in standby to calculate energy use may “actually underestimate TV household usage.” That’s because the numbers were based on asking individuals how many hours of TV they watched a day instead of how many hours the set was powered on, it said. “Often times, the consumers leave the TV in on-mode even though they are not actively viewing it.” The commission must revise the usage rate to 8 hours a day in on mode and 16 hours in standby mode, it said. The nonprofit also wanted testing of TVs “whenever a product design is changed, in order to determine whether the label must be altered.”