Energy use becomes part of TV-buying equation

Even when gift and clothing sales took a hit last fall, people continued to shop for televisions.

"They were saying, 'We'll stay home and get an extra television set to entertain ourselves as opposed to going someplace,' " surmised Jim Sinegal, CEO of Costco Wholesale, which saw a boost in TV sales last fall while other product categories tanked.

The numbers could be even higher this year, with households replacing older sets after this year's conversion from analog to digital signals.

Energy-efficiency advocates are preparing for the onslaught.

They're aware that most consumers have no idea how much power their TVs use and rarely ask about it while shopping.

Doug Niemi, of Renton, is a perfect example.

On Thursday, he picked out a 50-inch Panasonic plasma television at Video Only in Tukwila — his third new television in six months — with nary a thought of how efficient it might be.

"The wife pays the bills," he said, "and she's not angry about that. She'd be angry if we didn't have the television to watch."

Niemi figures he and his wife, who works the night shift, watch about 20 hours of TV a day.

Even shoppers who want to know how much power their flat-screens guzzle often have trouble finding out. Model numbers change quickly, and there are no clearinghouses of data on energy consumption for televisions like there are for cars, for example.

Also unlike cars, it's the new models that are causing a fuss.

Although old cathode-ray tubes were not super efficient by the square inch, they tended to be smaller than new TVs and therefore consume less overall.

"The best thing to do would be to keep your old CRT and not upgrade to digital, but that's going to be a tough thing for any consumer to do," said Stephanie Fleming, senior manager for the residential sector for the nonprofit Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, which is funded by utilities, Energy Trust of Oregon and the Bonneville Power Administration.

A host of solutions — from government mandates to point-of-sale fliers — are cropping up.

This week, the California Energy Commission approved regulations requiring better efficiency for new televisions up to 58 inches beginning next year, and California Sen. Dianne Feinstein called for the federal government to adopt similar standards.

In the Northwest, a new program puts "Save More" stickers on the most efficient televisions sold by big chains like Costco, Best Buy and Sears. More than 300 stores are participating.

The "Save More" effort is more rigorous than the well-known Energy Star program by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy.

But to get a "Save More" sticker, a television must exceed Energy Star specifications by at least 30 percent, Fleming said.

There are about 12.5 million TVs in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana, consuming about 4 percent of the electricity used in the average household, according to the alliance.

It figures that if everyone chose "Save More" models, consumers would save $60 million a year in energy costs and reduce greenhouse emissions by the equivalent of removing 60,000 cars from the road.

The stickers remind shoppers that there's more to choosing a TV than size.

"When they buy a TV, people don't think about energy efficiency at all, but if they're reminded at retail, it can be a tiebreaker," Fleming said.

James Tobin, manager of the Video Only store in Tukwila, said some customers do ask, and he is up on the latest energy cost data from Consumer Reports.

Almost every television in the store has the Energy Star symbol, he said, and even the plasma TVs that were once the biggest energy hogs have improved.

"Energy costs have become a big hot button," he said. "Everybody's trying to save money."

— Melissa Allison

Seattle restaurateur Tom Douglas unveiled a new line of pizza-making tools that Amazon.com plans to introduce in early 2010 as part of its Tom Douglas by Pinzon line. The 6-month-old line already includes wine glasses, knives and cast-iron pans.

Douglas invited local media Monday to his cozy downtown Seattle pizzeria, Serious Pie, where he talked about working with Amazon, expanding his business, and not having a national TV show.

"It's difficult to be in the marketplace without the oomph of a national TV show, but Amazon provides that oomph," he said. "They're incredible marketers."

The affection appeared mutual.

"Tom is so approachable and very straightforward," said Kerry Morris, senior manager of global sourcing for Amazon's Pinzon and Strathwood private labels. "And even if someone in Miami or New York doesn't relate to Tom Douglas, at least they relate to the quality and performance of the products." — AM

Karen Millen, a U.K. fashion design house, plans to open a new store at The Bravern in Bellevue next spring, joining a retail-tenant roster anchored by Neiman Marcus. Karen Millen, which has a dozen U.S. locations — none yet in the Northwest — will take up 1,616 square feet along Northeast Eighth Street. — AM

McDonald's is turning up the heat on Starbucks again, adding Frappuccino-like drinks called McCafe Frappes to its menus. Western Washington stores are among the first to get the Frappes, which come in mocha and caramel flavors; a small costs about $2.29, depending on which shop you visit. The Frappes are in most stores now but officially launch Monday. — MA

The nonprofit TisBest Philanthropy is funding the $15,000 charity giveaway to PCC Natural Markets customers. Beginning Dec. 1, PCC shoppers will receive a one-dollar TisBest Charity Gift Card when they check out. They can then go online and donate the money to one of more than 300 charities on the TisBest Web site. The giveaway will continue until all 15,000 cards run out. — MA

Retail Report appears Fridays. Amy Martinez covers goods, services and online retail. She can be reached at 206-464-2923 or amartinez@seattletimes.com. Melissa Allison covers the food and beverage industry. She can be reached at 206-464-3312 or mallison@seattletimes.com.