KEY POINTS:
New Zealand may ban some of the largest plasma televisions from being imported into the country if they fail to meet energy performance standards.
The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority is investigating the energy performance of televisions, particularly those using plasma or LCD technology.
The Crown entity implements Government strategies for energy efficiency, conservation and renewable energy in the private and public sectors.
Products manager Terry Collins said the authority was continually looking into products that used electricity or gas to assess their energy consumption and in cases decide whether they should be allowed into the country.
It had already introduced minimum energy performance standards for a range of products including fridges, washing machines, dishwashers and air-conditioning units.
Mr Collins said the authority was now turning its attention to TVs, which were in some cases using more power than a domestic fridge or as much as 15 lightbulbs.
Old technology had limited the size of cathode ray televisions to about 26inch (66cm) screens but new technology had allowed for much bigger televisions that used more power.
LCD screens ranged from 56cm to 106cm and plasma televisions could be up to a metre wide, which significantly increased energy consumption.
Mr Collins said the authority was working with the Australian Government in a joint programme looking into performance standards around television energy efficiency as part of its Trans Tasman Mutual Recognition Arrangement.
A discussion paper was released a month ago and a consulting firm hired to provide advice had recommended introducing a star rating system to indicate television energy efficiency and mandatory minimum energy performance standards by 2009.
Mr Collins said the standards could place upper limits on power usage, including for when a television was on standby.
Some of the largest TVs could as a result be banned from being imported, but new rules would not apply to stock already in the country.
Mr Collins said regulators worldwide were realising televisions and home entertainment systems were using a lot more power than before.
By 2020 it was estimated home entertainment systems and appliances would account for 45 per cent of household power use. Mr Collins said there was a "double whammy effect" as, by making people's lives easier, electrical appliances had created more spare time for people to enjoy home entertainment powered by electricity.
He said about 20 other products were being assessed by the authority, including incandescent lightbulbs, which could be banned.
The banning of products could draw criticism from consumers about a perceived lack of choice but despite restrictions there were, for example, still 518 models of fridges to choose from in New Zealand.
Since the Government introduced its programme to develop minimum energy standards it was estimated to have saved $60 million in energy use and that was forecast to increase to around $2.7 billion by 2025.
