Last week, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)® announced a major expansion of its television energy efficiency agreement. The news itself is fairly simple: leading television manufacturers, operating system vendors and energy advocates have agreed on new commitments that will reduce how much energy future televisions consume.

The practical impact is even simpler. The next television you buy will likely use less electricity than the one it replaces, saving money on your utility bill over time.

I have worked on this initiative for the past two years, building on an effort CTA began nearly a decade ago. On the surface, conversations about energy efficiency can sound technical and, frankly, a little dry. But this project reminded me that some of the most meaningful innovations are the ones consumers rarely notice. When a product becomes more efficient without sacrificing performance, everyone wins.

This week’s update does two important things. First, it expands the agreement participants, adding new manufacturers and energy advocate signatories. Second, it introduces a new set of commitments covering on-mode power, the electricity televisions use while turned on and in use.

The commitments follow a phased schedule: standby-mode requirements took effect this past April, while the new on-mode requirements begin in 2028. That timeline gives manufacturers room to engineer more efficient products as televisions replace older sets already in homes.

At a time when electricity demand projections are rising sharply, finding ways to reduce energy consumption without limiting consumer choice feels increasingly important.

A Decade in the Making

What struck me most about this work is how long meaningful industry change can take.

CTA’s work on this project began nearly a decade ago and progressed through several steps toward the goal we reached this year. First, stakeholders needed to develop a more accurate way to measure television energy use. Then, using that technical foundation, individual television brands made voluntary commitments around ambitious efficiency targets. CTA led the development of the standard later published as ANSI/CTA-2037-D, which paved the way for the first iteration of the TV Voluntary Agreement in 2023.

Under that agreement, signatories committed that 90% of televisions sold in the United States or Canada would reach a standby power level of two watts or less by April 1, 2026.

Standards don’t usually make headlines. Yet they’re often what make large-scale industry progress possible.

Bringing the Entire Industry Together

One of the most encouraging developments in this year’s expansion was the breadth of participation.

The expanded roster adds Best Buy, Walmart and Skyworth as manufacturer signatories, bringing every major TV brand into the program. Additionally, the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) and Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) also joined as energy advocate signatories, joining the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), which has held that role since the agreement began. Together, the three groups help ensure the program’s rigor and transparency.

The Hard Part: On-Mode Power

The original agreement focused on standby power, reducing the electricity televisions consume when they’re turned off but still plugged in.

The tougher challenge was on-mode power — the electricity a television uses while it is actually on. Industry members knew that on-mode targets should come next, but finding the right approach required difficult negotiations.

Finding energy savings while a television is on and in use was challenging. Ultimately, a hybrid approach was taken as the two different light producing technologies — backlit LCD and OLED — required a different approach. The agreement recognizes these differences without lowering the overall ambition.

Beginning in 2028, manufacturer signatories have committed that at least 90% of their new televisions sold in the United States or Canada will meet or exceed on-mode efficiency levels developed with energy advocates. Backlit Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) TVs will be measured by screen size. OLED TVs will be measured by how efficiently they produce light.

The on-mode amendment to the overall television voluntary agreement is expected to deliver an estimated 2 TWh of additional energy savings over the agreement’s first seven years. That adds to the 10 TWh of annual savings already projected from the 2023 standby-mode commitments. Combined, the program is projected to save consumers approximately $1.8 billion a year in electricity costs once the commitments are fully implemented.

How the Program Works

One reason this model works is that it sets a clear performance target without prescribing a single path for reaching it. Each manufacturer can decide how to improve its products, preserving competition and giving engineers room to innovate even as the efficiency bar rises.

The addition of ACEEE, NEEA and PG&E as advocate signatories adds independent oversight to the program, helping ensure that manufacturers meet the targets while keeping the program’s goals appropriately ambitious.

What Comes Next

The work isn’t finished just because the agreement is signed.

Signatory manufacturers and supporting organizations will track progress through a Steering Committee and publish results in annual reports on CTA.tech.

Consumers will see savings as newer, more efficient televisions gradually replace older sets in use; televisions manufactured and sold before the commitment dates are not covered.

After two years on the project — and nearly a decade of effort across CTA and the television industry — it is rewarding to see technical standards, industry commitments and product innovation come together in a way that can save consumers real money.

More details on the commitments and timeline are available on the TV Energy Efficiency Voluntary Agreement landing page on CTA.tech.