New Jersey-2010-A2567-Introduced

An Act concerning energy efficiency standards for certain new televisions, amending and supplementing P.L.2005, c.42.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. Section 1 of P.L.2005, c.42 (C.48:3-99) is amended to read as follows:

1. As used in [this act] P.L.2005, c.42 (C.48:3-99 et seq.):

"Air-cooled very large commercial package air conditioning and heating equipment'' means air-cooled, water-cooled, evaporative-cooled or water source (but not ground water source), electrically operated, unitary central air conditioners and central air conditioning heat pumps for commercial application that are rated at or above 240,000 Btu per hour and below 760,000 Btu per hour in cooling capacity;

"Board" means the Board of Public Utilities;

"Coefficient of performance" means the ratio of heating capacity in watts to the power input values in watts obtained at standards rating conditions;

"Combination television" means a system in which a television or television monitor and an additional device or devices including, but not limited to, a DVD player or video cassette recorder, are combined into a single unit in which the additional devices are included in the television casing;

"Component television" means a television composed of two or more separate components including, but not limited to, a separate display device, a tuner, and one or more power cords, which is marketed and sold as a television under one model or system designation;

"Computer monitor" means an analog or digital device that is designed primarily for the display of computer generated signals, and is not marketed for use as a television;

"Commercial clothes washer" means a soft mount front-loading or soft mount top-loading clothes washer that is designed for use in: applications where the occupants of more than one household will be using it, including multi-family housing common areas and coin laundries; or other commercial applications, if the clothes container compartment is no greater than 3.5 cubic feet for horizontal-axis clothes washers, or no greater than 4.0 cubic feet for vertical-axis clothes washers;

"Commercial refrigerator, freezer, and refrigerator-freezer equipment" means refrigeration equipment that:

[a.] (1) is not a consumer product;

[b.] (2) operates at a chilled, frozen, combination chilled/frozen, or variable temperature;

[c.] (3) displays or stores merchandise either horizontally, semi-vertically, or vertically;

[d.] (4) may have transparent or solid hinged doors or both, sliding doors, a combination of hinged and sliding doors or no doors;

[e.] (5) is designed either for pull-down temperature applications or holding temperature applications; and

[f.] (6) is connected to a self-contained condensing unit;

"Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Environmental Protection;

"Digital television converter box" means a device that receives and decodes digital broadcast signals for display by an analog television set;

"Digital versatile disc" or "DVD" means a laser encoded plastic medium capable of storing a large amount of digital audio, video, and computer data;

"Digital versatile disc player" or "DVD player" means a commercially available electronic product encased in a single housing that includes an integral power supply and for which the primary purpose is the decoding of digitized video signals on a DVD;

"Energy efficiency ratio" means the ratio of the cooling capacity in Btu per hour to the power input values in watts obtained at standard rating conditions expressed in Btu per watt-hours;

"Holding temperature applications" means commercial refrigerator, freezer, and refrigerator-freezer equipment that is not designed for "pull-down" temperature applications;

"Illuminated exit sign" means an internally illuminated sign that is designed to be permanently fixed in place and used to identify an exit, a light source illuminates the sign or letters from within, and the background of the sign is not transparent;

"Low-voltage dry-type distribution transformer" means a transformer with an input voltage of 600 volts or less, is between 14kVa and 2,501kVa in size, is air-cooled, and does not use oil as a coolant, and does not include those types of transformers specifically excluded from the low voltage dry-type distribution transformer definition published in the California Code of Regulations, Title 20: Division 2, Chapter 4, Article 4: Appliance Efficiency Regulations, as amended in November 2002;

"On-power mode" means the phase of television operation in which the television is connected to a power source and produces sound and picture;

"Packaged air-conditioning equipment" means air-conditioning equipment that is built as a package and shipped as a whole to end-user sites;

"Pull-down temperature applications" means commercial refrigerator, freezer, and refrigerator-freezer equipment specifically designed to rapidly reduce all product content temperatures from various ambient temperatures at a minimum reduction rate of 4.3 degrees Fahrenheit per hour over a 12-hour period to an overall integrated product temperature equal to 38 degrees Fahrenheit when fully loaded with beverage containers;

"Screen size" means the diagonal length, measured in inches, from one corner of a television to the furthest away corner of the viewable screen area of the television;

"Self-contained condensing unit" means a factory-made assembly of refrigerating components designed to compress and liquefy a specific refrigerant that is an integral part of the refrigerated equipment and consists of one or more refrigerant compressors, refrigerant condensers, condenser fans and motors, and factory supplied accessories;

"Standby passive mode" means the phase of television operation in which the television is connected to a power source, produces neither sound nor images but can be switched into another mode with a remote control unit or an internal signal;

"Television" means an analog or digital device designed primarily for the display and reception of a terrestrial, satellite, cable internet protocol television (IPTV) or other broadcast or recorded transmission of analog or digital signals. Televisions include combination televisions, television monitors, component televisions, and any products that are marketed as televisions, but do not include computer monitors;

"Television monitor" means a television that does not have an internal tuner or receiver or a playback device;

"Torchiere lighting fixture" means a portable electric lighting fixture with a reflector bowl directing light upward to provide indirect illumination;

"Traffic signal module" means a standard 8-inch (200 mm) or 12-inch (300 mm) round traffic signal indication, consisting of a light source, lens and all parts necessary for operation, and communicates movement messages to drivers through red, amber and green colors, and may include arrow modules in the same colors to indicate turning movements;

"Transformer" means a device consisting essentially of two or more coils of insulated wire that transfers alternating current by electromagnetic induction from one coil to another in order to change the original voltage or current value; and

"Unit heater" means a self-contained fan-type heater that uses natural gas, propane, or fuel oil and is designed to be installed within a heated space. Unit heaters include an apparatus or appliance to supply heat, and a fan for circulating air over a heat exchange surface, all enclosed in a common casing. Unit heaters do not include "warm air furnaces" as specifically defined under the federal Energy Policy Act of 1992, Pub.L. 102-486.

(cf: P.L.2005, c.42, s.1)

2. Section 2 of P.L.2005, c.42 (C.48:3-100) is amended to read as follows:

2. a. The provisions of [this act] P.L.2005, c.42 (C.48:3-99 et seq.) shall apply to the testing, certification and enforcement of efficiency standards for the following types of new products sold, offered for sale or installed in the State:

(1) commercial clothes washers;

(2) commercial refrigerators and freezers;

(3) illuminated exit signs;

(4) air- cooled very large commercial package air conditioning and heating equipment;

(5) low-voltage dry-type distribution transformers;

(6) torchiere lighting fixtures;

(7) traffic signal modules; [and]

(8) unit heaters; and

(9) certain new televisions as set forth in subsections a. and b. of section 3 of P.L. , c. (C. )(pending before the Legislature as this bill).

b. The provisions of [this act] P.L.2005, c.42 (C.48:3-99 et seq.) shall not apply to:

(1) new products manufactured in the State and sold outside the State;

(2) new products manufactured outside the State and sold at wholesale inside the State for final retail sale and installation outside the State;

(3) products installed in mobile manufactured homes at the time of construction; or

(4) products designed expressly for installation and use in recreational vehicles.

(cf: P.L.2005, c.42, s.2)

3. (New section) Within one year of the effective date of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), the Board of Public Utilities, in consultation with any other appropriate State agencies, shall adopt, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), rules and regulations establishing minimum efficiency standards for certain new televisions that are sold or offered for sale in this State, subject to certain exceptions in subsection b. of section 2 of P.L.2005, c.42 (C.48:3-100). The board may apply for a waiver of federal preemption in accordance with federal procedures set forth at 42 U.S.C. s.6297(d) for those televisions regulated by the federal government. The board, in consultation with any other appropriate State agencies, may adopt such further rules and regulations as may be necessary to implement the provisions of this section. The rules and regulations adopted pursuant to this section shall provide for the following minimum efficiency standards:

a. New televisions manufactured on and after January 1, 2011 but prior to January 1, 2013, with a total screen size area of 1,400 square inches or less, shall use no more than (0.20 times A) plus 32 watts in the on-power mode, where A is equal to the television's screen size area in square inches, and shall use no more than one watt in standby passive mode; and

b. New televisions manufactured on and after January 1, 2013, with a total screen area of 1,400 square inches or less, shall use no more than (0.12 times A) plus 25 watts in the on-power mode, where A is equal to the television's screen size area in square inches, and shall use no more than one watt in standby passive mode.

c. For the purposes of subsections a. and b. of this section, television on-power mode energy use shall be measured in accordance with the International Electrotechnical Commission Standard 62087, Edition 2.0, "Methods of Measurement for the Power Consumption of Audio, Video and Related Equipment," as applied by the United States Environmental Protection Agency in the "Energy Star Program Requirements for Television, Version 3.0," and television standby-passive mode energy use shall be measured in accordance with the International Electrotechnical Commission Standard 62301, Edition 1.0: "Household Electrical Appliances-Measurement of Standby Power," as applied by the United States Environmental Protection Agency in the "Energy Star Program Requirements for Television, Version 3.0."

4. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill requires the Board of Public Utilities, in consultation with other appropriate State agencies, to establish minimum efficiency standards for certain televisions that are either manufactured on and after January 1, 2011 but before January 1, 2013, or that are manufactured on and after January 1, 2013, and that are sold or offered for sale in this State.

The bill would not apply to televisions manufactured in the State and sold outside the State; televisions manufactured outside the State and sold at wholesale inside the State for final retail sale and installation outside the State; televisions installed in mobile manufactured homes at the time of construction; or televisions designed expressly for installation and use in recreational vehicles.

California regulators approved the nation's first energy efficiency standards for televisions in 2009 and the standards in this bill are based upon the standards approved in California.