Those big-screen televisions that became the must-have electronics item in every hip restaurant, bar and living room before the economy crashed have drawn the attention of state energy regulators, who say the appliances draw too much juice from the grid and need to go on a diet.

The California Energy Commission is considering rules that would ban the sale of televisions in the state that do not meet new energy-efficiency standards by 2011 and even tougher rules two years later.

Similar regulations on the sale of refrigerators, washing machines and other appliances have been credited with helping make California the most energy-efficient state in the country. But regulating televisions has proven more controversial, with some politicians and industry officials warning that the state is trying to "ban flat-screen televisions."

In reality, the rules would force manufacturers to produce sets that use one- third less electricity by 2011 and about 50 percent less by 2013. The state says about 400 TVs on the market today already meet the 2011 standard, and some manufacturers say they will have no problem complying with the stricter rules due to take effect in 2013.

"We're getting rid of the energy hogs that really are the bad actors," said Adam Gottlieb, the commission's spokesman.

The idea came from the Energy Commission staff with a healthy assist from Pacific Gas and Electric Co., one of the state's largest utilities. The company says big, flat-screen televisions use far more power than their cathode-ray predecessors, pushing the electricity consumption of the state's 35 million TVs – almost one for every man, woman and child in California – to 10 percent of all the power used in the home.

The industry is divided. A trade group for the LCD television manufacturers supports the new rules and says their members are ready to meet the standards today. Vizio, which makes both LCD and plasma televisions, says it would support an even quicker timeline for implementing the standards than the Energy Commission has in mind. And 3M, which makes components that improve the energy efficiency of flat-screen TVs, also supports the standard.

But several manufacturers and the Consumer Electronics Association, another trade group, strongly oppose the new rules. Doug Johnson, the CEA's director of technology policy, says the changes would effectively ban the sale of 25 percent of LCD and plasma big- screen televisions, and 100 percent of the current plasma models with a screen size larger than 60 inches. Newly emerging products, including 3D-HDTV and Internet- enabled televisions could be delayed or squelched if they can't comply with the new rules.

The association claims the rules would cost California 4,600 retail jobs and $50 million annually in tax revenue as consumers turn to a "black market" to buy electricity-hungry models out of state or online rather than the relatively energy-efficient models that would remain for sale in California.

"The consumer electronics industry is committed to achieving energy efficiency in ways that benefit consumers and inspire innovation," Johnson said. But the Energy Commission proposal, he said, is a "job killer" that would "eliminate consumer choice."

As an alternative, the association supports tougher disclosure rules so consumers can see at a glance how much electricity, and at what cost, various models will use. They say that more disclosure would force manufacturers to compete based on energy efficiency more than they do today.

And they point out that even without regulation, the television market is rapidly changing. The Plasma Display Coalition says its newest screens are 15 percent more efficient than last year's models, and the industry says new technology will produce even greater gains in the years ahead. Sharp, as one example, is rolling out technology that will reduce power to parts of the screen that are dark at any moment, saving electricity as the picture changes.

The manufacturers have also promised to turn down the brightness and contrast programmed into televisions as they leave the stores. That change alone could reduce electricity usage by 15 percent to 20 percent without affecting picture quality, experts say.