In the last decade, televisions have undergone a radical change with the demise of cathode ray tube (CRT) technology and the rapid uptake of plasma, then liquid crystal display (LCD) technologies. There have also been significant developments in back lighting for LCD TVs, with light emitting diodes (LED) now commonplace in many markets and organic light emitting diodes (OLED) coming to the mass market soon. Televisions currently account for an estimated 3 to 8% of global residential energy use, so the uptake of more efficient televisions would benefit consumers through lower energy bills.

The rapid stock growth, fast-moving technology developments, and competitive price pressures mean that televisions are a product area both challenging and crucial for energy efficiency policy-makers. However, the homogeneity of the global market means this is also an area where the harmonisation of test methodologies, and even performance levels, could be made a reality within a few years if the necessary decision-makers are engaged in the process and if improvements are made to existing technical standards. Harmonised test methodologies for products provide the foundation for internationally comparable energy performance benchmarks that can be used by governments to design policies with performance thresholds that are appropriate to their own market and economy. If different television energy consumption methods are used for different programmes, then it is more difficult to conduct programme comparisons.

There are multiple reasons why different regions use the IEC 62087 test procedure in different ways. In some cases, regions use technical studies to inform the approach they should take and these studies sometimes bring new information to light that has not been considered in the IEC 62087 test procedure. Regional variations are not likely to be due to testing laboratory facilities or due to the cost of burden of testing, as there is generally a great deal of consistency in laboratory set-up between countries, both in terms of capability and capacity. Most test laboratories employ the same equipment and have well-trained staff. Where variation does occur between laboratories, this is usually due to different interpretations of the test standard by the laboratory staff.

The IEC 62087 Standard is currently undergoing a revision which is due to be finalized and published this year. The APEC Collaborative Assessment of Standards and Testing (CAST) programme is currently working on "Internationally Aligned Test Methods and Performance Requirements for Televisions", which will propose recommendations to the next revision of IEC 62087 (likely in 2016) and to the development of policy measures within the APEC economies.