Nov 10 - Business Wire


A difficult economy coupled with rising energy costs are likely to impact holiday purchases this year, with many shoppers choosing energy-efficient electronics to reduce household energy bills. In partnership with supporting retailers and utilities throughout the region, the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) brings an energy-efficient electronics program to regional consumers, making the most energy-efficient televisions on the market available this holiday shopping season.

"Recognizing that numerous television models are now more energy efficient than the ENERGY STAR standard, Best Buy is proud to partner with NEEA and the consumer electronics program to assist our customers in identifying super energy-efficient television models," says Thad Carlson, Sr. Manager, Environmental Affairs, Best Buy.

According to the International Energy Agency, consumer electronics represent the largest growing category of household power demand in the world, a trend reflected in northwest regional power consumption patterns.

"Here in the Northwest, there are now more televisions per home than people. This, combined with the fact that technology is available to reduce their electricity consumption by 30 to 50%, makes efficiency improvements in televisions among the largest single sources of conservation potential in the region," says Tom Eckman, NW Power and Conservation Council.

In addition to household energy savings, an energy-efficient TV purchase brings significant collective benefits for regional energy use, resources and ecosystems. "If all consumers in the Pacific Northwest purchased more energy-efficient TVs over other models, we could save enough electricity to power all the homes in Seattle for one year," says Stephanie Fleming, senior manager of the NEEA residential sector. "Northwest consumers would save an estimated $60 million in annual energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of removing 60,000 cars from the road," she added.

Shoppers should look for their local utility and ENERGY STAR® logos on products at major retailers, including: Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Costco, Sears, Sam's Club and Kmart. Independent community retailers will also soon begin to participate in the energy-efficient electronics program, so customers should inquire about the availability of these TVs.

"We believe the simple, in-store messaging adjacent to qualifying televisions and carrying the ˜Save More' message will allow our customers a choice of several top-tier energy-efficient television models as energy efficiency becomes a more relevant consideration in their purchase experience," notes Carlson.

All televisions promoted through this program meet and exceed the stringent ENERGY STAR® specifications. ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy helping consumers save money and protect the environment through energy-efficient products and practices. The consumer energy-efficiency program is the result of a multi-state, multi-partner collaboration initially launched by California-based utilities, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and Sacramento Municipal Utility District, which have collaborated with NEEA to support the Northwest launch.

For more information about the program and products, please visit: www.energyefficientelectronics.org.

The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) is a private non-profit organization funded by Northwest utilities, the Energy Trust of Oregon and the Bonneville Power Administration. NEEA works in collaboration with its stakeholders and strategic market partners to accelerate the sustained market adoption of energy-efficient products, technologies and practices. NEEA's market transformation efforts address energy efficiency in homes, businesses and industry.For more information about NEEA, please visit: www.nwalliance.org.

Interview with local retailer and utility representatives available upon request.

Please contact: Stephanie Swanson, 971-246 -- 1732 or stephanieswanson@marketshiftstrategies.com.