THE "CASH-for-clunkers" program has worked so well for the auto industry, some TV set producers are talking up a similar project for their industry. And after decades of delivering televisions that require lavish amounts of energy to light up and shine, makers are working hard to deliver new models that sip rather than slurp electricity - even if it means a little less brightness when you turn the set on.

It'd be great (but a lie) to say high-tech giants are doing all this out of the goodness of their hearts.

Noisy European and Japanese environmental organizations have been pushing the cause of responsible, "green" electronics for some time. It's been a major theme of product displays at the big tech trade shows in Berlin and Tokyo.

Now, in the more environmentally conscious age of Obama, the cause is picking up steam in the U.S., with local, state and national agencies pressing TV makers harder to do the right thing.

CALIFORNIA DREAMING: As soon as this fall, if the California Energy Commission has its way, many of today's most desirable large screen sets may no longer be sold in the state because they use too much juice.

Of course, a gray market in the premium sets would result. High-end electronics retailers, whose livelihoods would be threatened, are loudly protesting.

The commission is still weighing the pros and cons, but needs no legislative permission to move forward.

SONY, TAKE IT AWAY: On this side of the country, New York City is tussling with TV makers in court over a municipal plan to force them to pick up and recycle residents' cast-off sets. By one estimate, this "apartment door to recycling center" service would cost $121 per TV, which would sink already low-margin TV makers in a sea of red ink.

SHRINK THAT SET: Down in Washington, D.C., the Environmental Protection Agency is crafting more stringent, 4.0 and 5.0 Energy Star standards for TV set power consumption, to be implemented in 2010 and 2012 respectively.

Traditionally, these star awards have been a "best buy" recommendation to nudge energy-conscious buyers toward the most efficient sets.

But the California Energy Commission is treating the EPA's maximum recommended wattage number for TVs as holy writ.

"They're drawing the line under the current, Energy Star 3.0 ratings to determine which sets should or shouldn't be sellable in the state," said Jim Palumbo, president of the Plasma Display Coalition, which represents LG Electronics, Panasonic and Pioneer.

The current, 3.0 Energy Star standard puts the peak allowable power usage for a 42-inch set at 160 watts; it's 318 watts or less for a 50-inch set.

Using PDC-supplied stats for recent-issue plasma TVs, the EPA numbers would allow a 42-inch, 720p resolution plasma set to be sold in California but not a same-sized, 1080p resolution model. Both 720p and 1080p 50-inch plasma sets could be sold, but anything bigger, even just a 52-incher, would probably be forced off the market.

Looking down the pike three years, the EPA's Energy Star 5.0 goal is to reduce consumption for a 50-inch or larger TV to just 108 watts, about a third what's currently acceptable!

LCD TVs do draw a bit less power - "maybe 20 or 30 watts less, depending on the screen size," conceded Palumbo, who used to sell millions of LCDs and far less efficient CRT and rear-projection sets as head of Sony's U.S. TV division. But he argued that the lower retail cost and higher-rated performance of today's plasmas more than compensates for their added energy consumption.

And he suggested that LCD makers can't avoid the wrath of the EPA, the California commission or any other state that might decide to jump on the bandwagon.

"Some LCD makers have said that products they've just introducing today for sale for the next 12 to 18 months won't make the California cut," Palumbo said.

THE EXTRAS ADD UP: When it comes to setting those standards, all makers get hurt for building energy-sapping extras into their best and most expensive sets.

We're not just talking about bigger screens but performance enhancers like advanced picture processors, Internet connectivity (for instant movie downloads, news feeds and social networking), on-board Blu-ray players, higher-grade audio sections and the next big thing - true 3-D video display - which will pop up in lots more sets in the next year or two.

Bill Belt, the Consumer Electronic Association's senior director of technology and standards, argues that the EPA is "directly and deliberately targeting the very features and styles most prized by consumers."

One could also argue that having some of those extras in the TV is more energy efficient than say, plugging in an outboard Roku or Vudu movie streaming box, a standalone videodisc player or an elaborate sound system.

FIXING THE HOLE: The CEA has proposed a number of alternative "policies and programs" for set building that it says would reduce greenhouse gas emissions without "negatively impacting technological innovation."

One no-brainer is an automatic power-down feature that puts a TV to sleep after several hours if no one has changed the volume or channel settings.

Another is a "forced menu" default. The idea here is to program the television at the factory so the first time you turn it on, a screen prompt will ask if you're using the TV in a store or at home.

Many sets still come out of the factory with the picture cranked up to the so-called "torch" level. That's to make the screen jump out and practically bite you on the showroom floor.

But tell a "forced menu" TV you're using it at home and the set would automatically drop the brightness and contrast levels, producing a more honest and accurate picture and reducing power consumption by as much as 35 percent!

CEA has suggested it could teach consumers how to adjust the picture on sets they already own for maximum energy efficiency.

Then there's that "cash for clunkers" concept.

The California Energy Commission can't implement it, said Palumbo, "but local energy companies certainly could. They [California utilities] already have a program that rebates the consumer for buying a product that exceeds the Energy Star rating. The utilities would reap much bigger rewards by giving the consumer money for trading in an old CRT or rear projection set that uses 50 percent more energy than one of today's flat panels."

California already has curbside screen recycling, but consumers pay for it with fees added to the price of the TV or computer monitor.

MOVING 'EM OUT: Getting manufacturers to haul old sets out of an apartment or house in New York City - and most other places - remains a challenge.

In a lawsuit seeking to block the July 1, 2010, start of the e-waste law requiring apartment-door TV pickups in New York City, the CEA has argued that the law would impose "crushing costs" and cause "irreparable harm" to TV manufacturers with its annual projected tab of more than $173 million.

Sony has spent "millions of dollars and thousands of hours" to set up its Take Back national recycling operation, launched two years ago with Waste Management, noted Mark Small, Sony vice president for corporate environment safety and health. But the program - and others like it - require consumers to return old e-gear to a recycling depot.

"Samsung, like most manufacturers, does not have an existing home delivery infrastructure upon which to build an efficient system for direct collection of e-waste from homes," added Michael Moss, Samsung's senior management of environmental compliance.

He fears New York's door-to-door collection requirement "will harm Samsung's reputation among its customers and potential customers. If consumers are required to wait at home for hours for a collection agent to arrive, they may develop negative views of Samsung as a business, despite the fact that the company is not in the waste collection business."

E-mail Jonathan Takiff at takiffj@ phillynews.com.