Staying Green on Black Friday

Black Friday, one of the busiest shopping days of the year, is only a few days away, and Environment Massachusetts is working to help shoppers make more energy efficient purchases.

As I said in a previous post, one of the fastest and cheapest ways to reduce our energy usage and cut global warming pollution in Massachusetts would be to establish television efficiency standards. And so, we urge the Chairmen of the Joint Committee on Telecommunication, Utilities and Energy, Senator Michael Morrissey and Representative Barry Feingold to move An Act Relative to Expanding Energy Efficiency in the Commonwealth (SB1524/HB3124)  to the next step toward final passage.

This bill mirrors one passed by the California Energy Commissions last week. Environment Massachusetts applauds the passage of this bill, the first of its kind in the US, and hopes it will set a precedent soon followed by Massachusetts and every other state.

However, you don't have to wait for these standards to become law in Massachusetts to buy an efficient TV. There are already more than 250 televisions that meet the proposed standards. After searching newspaper ads for Black Friday sales, we found a few TVs at Best Buy that will save you money and help stop global warming:

• Mitsubishi 73'' Class 1080p 120Hz DLP TV: $2499.98 after $300 savings
• Toshiba Regza 55'' Class 1080p Clearscan LDC LED: $2499.98 after $500 savings
• Samsung 40'' Class 1080p 120Hz LED HDTV: $1399.99 after $700 savings (includes delivery, hook-up, and recycling)
• Samsung 55'' Class 1080p 120Hz LED HDTV: $2649.99 after $950 savings (includes delivery, hook-up, and recycling)

The full list of televisions that already meet the standards is on the left; click to see a close-up. (Source: "Proposed California Television Efficiency Standards" by Noah Horowitz, National Resources Defense Council)

While comparison shopping, you will likely find similar TVs with lower prices that do not meet the standards. For example a Sharp Aquos 52'' HDTV costs about $400 less than the Samsung 55'' listed above, but the Samsung will actually save you much more in the long run because it is more energy efficient.

Leave a comment if you have any TV efficiency questions, or even any other energy efficient gift ideas!