By Derrill Holly, ECT Staff Writer
Big-screen televisions are claiming a larger share of the home entertainment market in the United States. They’re also using a lot more energy. But informed consumers can find ways to save money on power consumption for years to come.
“The power consumption levels of televisions being sold today are really all over the map,” said Brian Sloboda, a Cooperative Research Network senior program manager.
“Common sense dictates that the larger the television, the more energy it’s going to consume,” Sloboda said. “But what many people do not realize is that there can be huge differences in energy use among different models offering the same screen size.”
Plasma, liquid crystal display and light-emitting diode televisions have displaced cathode ray tube design sets in recent years. That’s prompted many of the leading manufacturers to introduce new models to appeal to consumers looking for different price points.
“One manufacturer makes a 47-inch model that uses about $30 worth of electricity a year. That same manufacturer has another 47-inch model that uses about twice as much power,” Sloboda said.
According to Sloboda, researchers have found that rear-projection televisions are generally more energy-efficient. But the slim design of flat-panel models often offered at lower prices has made them more popular. The LED models are also generally less expensive to operate than LCD models using fluorescent luminescent technology.
“Informed consumers may be able to save money in the long run by looking for the Energy Star logo on the label,” said Sloboda. Products bearing the distinctive blue and white logo have been certified as meeting strict energy efficiency standards set by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency.
CRN also recommends that consumer-members take other steps to help control power consumption of big screen televisions and other home entertainment equipment. Those include adjusting contrasts and brightness to lower intensity levels that reduce energy consumption without diminishing picture quality.
“Co-op consumer-members have been asking a lot of questions about the energy consumption of home entertainment products,” Sloboda said. “If you do your homework before spending your money, you can buy the same size television and spend $20 to $30 a year less in overall operating costs.”