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Millions of television sets are sold each year. Consumers make the choice between plasma, CRT, LCD and other types of television technologies. They select the size to suit their needs as well; from a few inches to the theater like 103 inch screens. Selecting a television set involves thousands of choices. But what if consumers could select the size and type of screen that they wish and end up saving thousands of dollars over the life of the television in energy costs? Or what if that same consumer could also significantly reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions while getting the television of their dreams? Consumers do have the option of adding one more choice during their television shopping experience that could end up saving them 1/3 on their energy costs and significantly improve the quality of air through the Energy Star program.

Energy Star has been around since the early 1990's. It is a joint program of the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy. The goal of the program is to assist consumers in saving money and to protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices. The program requires products with the Energy Star label to meet strict energy efficiency guidelines. The program covers computers, monitors, office equipment, heating & cooling, major appliances, home electronics, lighting, new homes, and more. In 2005 alone, it is estimated that the program saved American's at least $12 billion on their utility bills and eliminated potential greenhouse emissions equivalent to that created by 23 million cars.

As consumers go out shopping for their next television, they might want to consider a few facts. The EPA and Department of Energy estimate that if half of all US households replaced their current television with an Energy Star model, the change would be equivalent to shutting down one entire power plant. In fact, an Energy Star qualified television uses about 30% less energy than standard units. In addition, if every television sold this year was Energy Star qualified, it would mean 9 billion pounds less air pollution. Energy Star models can be found in the plasma, LCD, or CRT types of screens so the choice to select the energy efficient model should not restrict consumers at all.

Most major television manufacturers do offer Energy Star models; Samsung, Sony, Zenith, Philips, Sylvania, Panasonic, and Sharp are just a few of the major brands. For consumers who want to include energy efficiency in their decision making process, they can visit the following site to assist them in identifying television models that meet the Energy Star qualifications.

energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_product.showProductGroup&pgw_code=TV

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