TV Energy Efficiency
Televisions now qualify as a major appliance, especially when it comes to energy consumption—and your electric bill. Old tube televisions are being phased out, replaced with larger, flatter HDTVs that really gobble up power. As a result, an estimated 10% of an average household’s electric bill is now due to TV-related activity.1
Consumers are also changing how they use television. There are more channels than ever to choose from and more devices such as DVD players, gaming systems, home movies and computer applications attached to TV sets. In fact, with an average of 2+ television sets per household, TVs are turned on an average of 8.14 hours per day.2
By 2010, energy use from TVs is expected to match or even outpace the energy used to power the average refrigerator. And by 2030, it will nearly double that.3 |
What you should know
- An energy efficient TV can cost around $30.00 per year in electricity costs, while a non-energy efficient model can run $230.00 per year4
- Three key factors influence the amount of power TVs consume:
- Screen area. The larger the screen, the more energy it consumes. An HDTV with a 40-inch screen or larger consumes more energy per year than any other device or appliance in the house, including the average refrigerator5
- Display technology influences power consumption. LCD TVs are more energy efficient than plasma TVs of a comparable size6
- Brightness—the brighter the screen, the more energy it consumes. (Brightness can be adjusted down, which not only cuts the energy use, but helps your set last longer, too)
- Add in all the accessories that also consume power—DVD players, gaming devices, etc.—and it can mean a substantially higher electric bill
- ENERGY STAR now has new Version 3.0 Specifications for Televisions that determine the most energy efficient models—in both standby and active mode, and will soon come out with 4.0 and 5.0 versions in 2010 and 2012 respectively
- ENERGY STAR-qualified TVs use about 30% less energy than standard units.7 Labels earned are on sets ranging from HD-ready sets to the largest flat screen TVs, so there are energy-efficient options. To find an ENERGY STAR-qualified television as well as other useful information about what to consider when purchasing a new television, please visit their website: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_product.showProductGroup&pgw_code=TV
Here is a video that demonstrates TV energy efficiency. The Energy Guide program also provides specific and comprehensive information on how much electricity an appliance is likely to use annually and what operating costs are likely to be. http://www.energyguide.com/.
CNET provides reviews of TVs and other appliances in terms of energy efficiency: http://reviews.cnet.com/green-tech/tv-power-efficiency/.
You can also learn more about energy efficient TVs and appliances at HowStuffWorks: http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/high-tech-gadgets/energy-efficient-electronics2.htm.
And you can check out the NRDC’s booklet "Tuning in to Energy Efficiency: Prospects for Saving Energy in Televisions" by downloading it here: http://www.nrdc.org/air/energy/energyeff/ftv.pdf.
For information about purchasing an LCD or LED television, you can consult this buying guide and additional websites.
http://www.lcdtvbuyingguide.com/
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=choosing-an-energy-efficicient-tv
http://www.greenefficientguide.com/Efficient_Televisions.cfm
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