Leaked from today's 404 show:
- Are 4D movies the next big step for motion pictures?
- Warehouse worker jailed for stealing $160,000 from Amazon.
- In the future, your drug dealer will be a printer.
- Apple bows out of program for environment-minded products.
- Louis C.K. and the effort to kill scalpers.
Bathroom break video: Omnicorp Product Line 2013
Video voice mail: Jersey from Mike unintentionally stalks Jeff.… Read more
Concerned about the Earth or just your electric bill? Verde is an iPad app that has you tally up the electrical appliances in your home, from your refrigerator and HDTV to iPods and lightbulbs. The app costs $4.99 but is being offered for free until Earth Day, April 22.
Launch the app, select your climate zone, and then Verde will either estimate your electricity rate or let you enter your own per kilowatt hour (kWh) figure, which you can find on your electric bill. After settling on a kWh number, you'll then want to walk through your home … Read more
General Motors isn't just interested in building energy-efficient vehicles; the company now says its Lansing Delta Township Assembly Plant is the company's first U.S. facility to become Energy Star certified. This means the plant has met strict energy performance levels set by the EPA from 2010 to 2011.
The Michigan plant, which builds the Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia, and Chevrolet Traverse, was designed to meet the optimum energy efficiency in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning without using steam, the company said in a press release.
The plant, which opened in 2006, has energy and water conservation features … Read more
The reason those TVs no longer qualify is because Energy Star made its requirements more strict this time around compared to the earlier version, designated 4.2, which has been in effect since April 30, 2010. According to Energy Star:
Televisions that meet the new ENERGY STAR Version 5.3 requirements are on average more than 40 percent more energy efficient than conventional models. Larger sets must meet even more stringent levels to qualify as ENERGY STAR. A 60-inch TV will be on average 60 percent more efficient than a conventional model.
In addition to increasing the stringency of the requirements for all screen sizes, the new version incorporates a "hard cap" of 108 watts regardless of screen size. That cap effectively disqualifies most plasma TVs larger than 50 inches, and many other large-screen DLP and non-LED LCD-based sets.… Read more
In addition to products with the basic Energy Star rating, consumers can now choose to buy even more efficient products with the help of a new rating.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy introduced last week an additional rating it calls Energy Star Most Efficient.
Consumer electronics and appliances with the Energy Star Most Efficient seal will signify those products that have exceptional efficiency within their product category. The seal will only be awarded to the top 5 percent of models. It will initially be introduced in five categories: clothes washers, heating and cooling … Read more
You're more likely to be happy with your appliances if they're energy efficient, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2010 Laundry and Kitchen Appliance Satisfaction Studies. And if you think everything around you looks greener, you're not wrong--the study also found that consumers are much more aware of appliance energy ratings that they were just two years ago. Just less than 90 percent of consumers who bought a new dishwasher in 2010 made a point of getting an Energy Star-rated appliance.
According to the study, Miele dishwasher owners are the most satisfied. This was … Read more
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Tuesday that Los Angeles has more Energy Star-rated buildings than any other city in the U.S.
The news came as part of the EPA's release of a report ranking the top 25 U.S. cities by the number of Energy Star-labeled buildings within its borders. (PDF)
Los Angeles, notorious for its smog problem, remains in first place since last year with 293 Energy Star-labeled buildings, followed by Washington, D.C. (204), San Francisco (173), Denver (136), Chicago (134), Houston (133), Lakeland, Fla. (120), Dallas-Fort Worth (113), Atlanta (102), and New York (90).… Read more
It seems all the talk of a product's environmental friendliness is falling on deaf ears for many gadget buyers, at least according to one new study.
According to the Gadgetology Report released Thursday by Retrevo, 42 percent of consumers don't care if the gadget they buy is green or not. And when asked if they felt guilty for not buying environmentally friendly gadgets, nearly 60 percent of respondents answered no. Sixteen percent of the respondents indicated that for them, price would trump the green factor in their buying decisions.
However, the report also shows that nearly 40 percent … Read more
The California Energy Commission on Wednesday unanimously approved the first energy efficiency standards for televisions in the state over opposition from the Consumer Electronics Association.
The rules mandate that televisions sold in California starting in 2011 consume 33 percent less electricity than current models and 49 percent less by 2013. The regulations affect TVs that are 58 inches wide and less.
Although it's a state-level regulation, it is potentially significant outside California as other states are considering adopting similar rules. Unlike voluntary programs, such as the Environmental Protection Agency's EnergyStar program, the rules mandate certain levels of efficiency. … Read more
An internal audit by the Energy Department concluded that some EnergyStar products are not meeting the requirements to gain the energy-efficiency label.
On Monday, The New York Times reported the results of the audit, which found that the two agencies responsible for the EnergyStar program--the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency--haven't been fully enforcing compliance. The audit also said manufacturers of some products, including refrigerators and air conditioners, have been certifying products themselves.
Last week, the DOE issued a statement, detailing how it plans to firm up its oversight of energy-efficiency certification.
The DOE said it will … Read more
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