Televisions

Televisions

Televisions can be a large waster of energy.  One classic source of energy loss is leaving the television on the entire night while you sleep.

What Are My Options?

Converting from an older analog TV to a newer digital model will save energy.  TV stations began broadcasting only in the digital format in 2009.  This did not affect you if you get your signal through cable, satellite, or a digital tuner, but all other analog television required an upgrade.  You can tell if your TV is analog or digital by the designation NTSC (National Television System Committee, or analog) or ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee, digital) on the back of the set, which refers to the type of input connection. Alternatively, you can look in the owner’s manual or find the model of your television on the manufacturer’s Web site.
In general, TVs manufactured before 1998 aren’t likely to have digital tuners, those manufactured in the five years after that may have them, and TVs manufactured after 2004 will probably have them.

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How To Buy?

An ENERGY STAR qualified television will use about 30% less energy than a standard television.  You don’t have to give up quality when buying an efficient TV – models ranging from standard TVs to large-screen plasma TVs come in ENERGY STAR-rated models.  Since related appliances are such energy hogs, consider ENERGY STAR VCRs or DVD players if you’re in the market for a new version.  In general, plasma TVs use four times as much electricity as standard TVs.

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Energy Saving Tips

Digital-to-analog converters used on an old set will only use two watts in something called “sleep mode.”  The set normally goes into “sleep mode” after four hours of inactivity, but you can customize the settings to have it do this after a shorter period, or use a powerstrip.
 
If a television is turned off, but still plugged in, it’s using power. This power, known as standby loss, is used for the internal features of the television.  An average 25-27” screen TV uses about 90 watts when turned on and five in standby mode, but the figure can be much higher depending on the size: a big screen TV can use 209 watts when on, and 16 while just plugged in.

Combine this with the other devices that may be connected to the television—a VCR that uses 17 watts while working, a DVD player that uses 22, a cable box that uses 5-20, a satellite decoder that uses 11-21, and a video game system that uses 10 —and you can see how TVs combined with other devices make up 10% of an average annual electricity bill!

Plus, if the devices aren’t used that often, they can consume more energy through standby loss than when they are actually in use. It is estimated that standby loss makes up 23% of total TV energy use.

Standby loss can, of course, be eliminated by unplugging the devices. But you might find it easier to plug them all into a simple powerstrip that can be switched off. The downside: timer settings and other data may be lost.