Watt Sippers Rejoice: Energy Star 4.0 goes into effect for HDTVs

Your next Energy Star-approved HDTV will be much greener than the last, due to the new energy-sipping rules that went into effect on May 1st.

These reduce allowable energy consumption for displays, improving by 40% efficiency compared to ES 3.0 units, meaning a 50″ set can use up 153 watts at once (used to be 318 watts with the 3.0 rules). And an HDTV in sleep mode can only use 1 watt max, which should really help the earth along with filling your living room with sound and fury.

In 2012 the 5.0 rules change things up yet again: and maximum consumption drops by roughly another 40 percent. Makers haven’t expressed any concern about these new rules yet, so we’re assuming there shouldn’t be any snags with compliance.