New Energy Efficient Plasma HDTV Models Offer Outstanding Picture Quality, Reduce Household Energy Use When Replacing Older, Large Tube TV Sets

More than 40 New Plasma HDTV Models from Hitachi, LG Electronics, Panasonic, and Pioneer Earn New ENERGY STAR® Rating [The following is a release from the Plasma Display Coalition]

December 15, 2008

It's now possible to replace an old big-screen color TV picture tube television with a slim profile, widescreen Plasma HDTV that actually consumes less energy than the TV screen it replaces. The Plasma Display Coalition, which represents industry leaders Hitachi, LG Electronics, Panasonic and Pioneer, today announced that 43 big screen Plasma models introduced by its member companies in the last nine months have earned the new ENERGY STAR rating and have been placed on the EPA official roster of qualifying HDTV sets. Tighter ENERGY STAR standards for TV sets were introduced in November 2008 by the Environmental Protection Agency. To qualify for the new "on mode" ENERGY STAR criteria, a 42-inch Plasma HDTV can consume no more than 208 watts. In "standby mode," newly qualified HDTV sets must use no more than a single watt of energy. A comprehensive list of qualifying Plasma HDTV models can be found on the ENERGY STAR web site. "While wildly popular in the 1990s, most 36-inch CRT tube televisions and larger tube-based projection TV sets typically consume at least 250 watts of energy, if not more. New models can offer consumers bigger screen sizes with superior high-definition viewing that are dramatically more efficient than older sets with traditional tubes. You can actually save energy and money by investing in a new energy efficient flat-panel Plasma HDTV. For example, if you replace your 36-inch tube TV that's using 250 watts with a larger, and most efficient 42-inch 720p Plasma HDTV that is ENERGY STAR rated, you can cut your TV power consumption by more than 35 percent," said Jim Palumbo, president of the Plasma Display Coalition. "Our members made these investments voluntarily, in order to promote their products with the ENERGY STAR mark, which is very highly regarded by consumers and retailers." According to the Environmental Protection Agency, if all televisions sold in the United States met the new ENERGY STAR requirements, energy cost savings would grow to about $1 billion annually. ENERGY STAR was introduced by EPA in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. The new "total energy consumption" ENERGY STAR requirements are based on TV screen size and resolution and use internationally supported test procedures. A list of ENERGY STAR-qualifying plasma models from Plasma Display Coalition members is below: Hitachi models: P42A202 P50A202 P50A402 P50S602 P50V702 P50X902 LG Electronics models: 42PG10-UA 42PG20-UA 42PG20C-UA 42PG25-UA 42PG60-UA 50PG20-UA 50PG20C-UA 50PG25-UA 50PG30F-UA 50PG60-UA 50PG60F-UA 50PG60F-UG 50PG70F-UB 60PG30F-UA 60PG30FC-UA 60PG60F-UA 60PG70F-UB Z42PG10-UA Z50PG10-UA Panasonic models: TH-42PX80U TH-42PZ800U TH-C42FD18 TH-C42HD18 TH-46PZ850U TH-46PZ800U TH-50PE8U TH-50PZ850U TH-C50FD18 TH-C50HD18 TH-M50HD18 TH-58PZ800U TH-58PZ850U TH-65PZ850U Pioneer models: PDP-5020FD PDP-6020FD PRO-111FD PRO-151FD

Read More: