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Electronic manufacturers say it sucks, but the California assembly this week told them to bite it when they passed the Vampire Slayer Act which would force electronics to be labeled with information as to how much power devices are using when they are in stand-by mode.
The lawmakers agreed that Californians should know how much their laptops, coffee makers, tv's, and hydroponics are draining even when turned off. The corporations, however, feel that the information is irrelevant because the numbers alone won't stop energy waste or CO2 release (which leads to the greenhouse effect), but the Assembly argued that by making companies to label their devices it will influence manufacturers to build more efficient goods.
Currently the average household spends over $200 a year paying for electricity of devices simply in stand-by mode. Coolest-gagets.com, fyi, leads us to a green power adapter which will shut off devices on stand-by.
The hidden bonus of this act, authored by Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, D-Van Nuys, might be the benefit for the rest of the country because companies like Sony, Panasonic, and Philips will probably have to label ALL of their electronics imported to the US because how would a corporation know which lots are only being sent to California? For if a gross of tvs originally intended for, say, NY gets bought by a wholesaler who wishes to unload them at, say Fry's he won't be able to ship them here without the standy-by rating.
So, yeah, you're welcome, America.
