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California's proposed energy efficiency standards for television sets will cost consumers money, says the Consumer Electronics Association in a study to be released this week.

When the California Energy Commission formalizes the regulations this year, they would take effect in 2011, phasing in over a two-year period. In the first tier, reduced energy use would save an average TV owner $18.48, and in the second tier, another $11.76, while the state's greenhouse gas emissions would drop by 15 percent.

At least, that's what the commission says. According to The Wall Street Journal, CEA disagrees, saying consumers won't save money in their power bills. CEA also notes that TVs currently meeting the federal government's voluntary Energy Star standards cost more than non-certified sets. The CEC's requirements would be even stricter than Energy Star, and thus cost more. In any case, says CEA, TV buyers are already looking for energy-saving sets. CEA also asserted that the TV energy regs would cost California $50 million in lost sales tax revenue and result in the loss of 4600 jobs.

The CEC rebutted CEA's statements, noting that it has not proposed banning any TV size or type (i.e. plasma), that the rules will in fact save consumers $50-250 over the life of a set, and that 87 percent of TVs tested by the state already meet the proposed standards.

The CEA fusillade raises the question: Are the longterm energy savings of efficient TVs enough to overcome consumer resistance to initially higher purchase prices? A study by Retrevo indicates that 75 percent are interested, but fewer than half have actually put money on the table, and 35 percent are unwilling to pay a premium. So the attitude of consumers toward green products seems ambiguous at best.