29 replies to this topic

[steph84]

Energy efficient TVs and energy efficient fridges are must haves in my home. They are on almost all day long and my bill would be through the roof. I also plug everything into power strips and unplug the strips before going to bed.

[MyDigitalpoint]

TVs are probably the most popular household devices we enjoy, but never thought of energy efficiency related to them.

However think how a single energy efficient TV set per household contributes to a better environment and then multiply this per million users around the world. Truly awesome.

[eds]

Shortpoet-GTD, on 02 April 2012 - 02:45 AM, said:

I saw savings of about $30 a month, so it can be substantial for the year.
Think of all the insulation you could buy for the attic with that extra $300+

That's "Compounding," the smartest thing I've heard in a long time.

"Compounding" is powerful because it allows you to take money saved,
. . . invest into something that also saves money,
. . . creating future multiple streams of savings. (all of which are non-taxable).

The most important thing is knowing the difference between
. . . investing "Savings" into "Needs" NOT "Wants."

[lizzie29]

It would be really nice to have energy efficient appliances. I heard that consumers are now more energy conscious and TV makers are responding with innovative, energy-saving designs. Aren't these good news? I also agree with the people who said that saving energy actually depends on what we do with our appliances too.

Here are some tips that I learned to save as much energy as you can with your TV:

• When setting up your new TV, be sure to pick the “home” mode setting. This setting may cut your power use by up to 25 percent compared to other settings such as “vivid” or “retail” which are unnecessarily bright for most users.
  
• Turn the TV and other connected devices off when they're not being used and be sure to unplug them!
  
• Turn off the Quick Start option
  
• Turn down the LCD's backlight
  
• Turn on the power saver mode

[adam_a]

As far as unplugging things goes, Belkin makes a power strip with a remote so you can plug your appliances in harder to reach places and easily shut off the power strip.

[ACSAPA]

mariaandrea, on 02 April 2012 - 07:44 AM, said:

The most energy efficient TV is one that doesn't get used. Like mine.   I canceled the cable a year ago and the TV gets turned on maybe once every couple of weeks to watch a movie. And almost everything we have is plugged into a power strip. Things that aren't, like the toaster, are always unplugged.

On the other hand, I can't get too smug about not using a TV because my computer is on 16 hours a day...

Me too. I don't really use my TV anymore but my computer is on almost as much as yours is. I watch shows on my computer in a small window while I do other work. At least I'm selective about what I watch online. If the TV was on, I might just let it play and sit there wasting energy.

[StevesWeb]

4leafclover, on 02 April 2012 - 12:18 PM, said:

I recently visited an appliance shop because we were looking for some juicers and I didn't mean to eaves drop but I overheard one customer asked which is more energy saving, LCD or LED TVs, the sales person went ahead and explain that capacitors that are found inside of an LED panel allow the monitor/TV to consume less energy when it is powered on. Thus, LED TVs might be more expensive but in reality it will definitely save more on the long run. Plus, since it uses lesser energy, there's lesser carbon by-product making Earth greener!

The salesman was spinning a tall tale, but here are the facts.  I will explain 3 types of TVs as a salesman might refer to them.

So called LED TVs do indeed use LEDs to create light but they are also LCD TVs because the LEDs are there to illuminate an LCD panel. In  fact the LCD panel in a so called LED TV is likely nearly identical to the LCD panel in a so called LCD TV.   What is different is the way the backlight is provided.  In a so called LCD TV the older fluorescent backlight is used, compared to the newer LED backlighting in a so called LED TV the older fluorescent method uses more power, fails more rapidly, and loses image quality as the fluorescent bulb ages and fails - which will definitely happen eventually.

The LED TV uses LEDs which use less power, produce more consistent colors, and last much, much longer.

LED TVs are better for power, reliability and picture quality as compared to LCD.  LED TVs are the clear green choice IMHO.

The third current type of HDTV is plasma, which uses a high voltage to create a brighter and more vivid image with much better contrast and dynamic range.  Plasma TVs always use more power than a same sized LCD or LED TV.  Plasma is likely to be less reliable but the difference in reliability might not be very much.

[imgoingeco]

StevesWeb, on 12 October 2012 - 08:38 AM, said:

The salesman was spinning a tall tale, but here are the facts.  I will explain 3 types of TVs as a salesman might refer to them.

So called LED TVs do indeed use LEDs to create light but they are also LCD TVs because the LEDs are there to illuminate an LCD panel. In  fact the LCD panel in a so called LED TV is likely nearly identical to the LCD panel in a so called LCD TV.   What is different is the way the backlight is provided.  In a so called LCD TV the older fluorescent backlight is used, compared to the newer LED backlighting in a so called LED TV the older fluorescent method uses more power, fails more rapidly, and loses image quality as the fluorescent bulb ages and fails - which will definitely happen eventually.

The LED TV uses LEDs which use less power, produce more consistent colors, and last much, much longer.

LED TVs are better for power, reliability and picture quality as compared to LCD.  LED TVs are the clear green choice IMHO.

The third current type of HDTV is plasma, which uses a high voltage to create a brighter and more vivid image with much better contrast and dynamic range.  Plasma TVs always use more power than a same sized LCD or LED TV.  Plasma is likely to be less reliable but the difference in reliability might not be very much.

Actually the newer plasmas are much more efficient than years past.  Many newer ones can be more efficient than the standard LCD tv's.  I was doing some tv recon for my own purchase and noticed that the 51" plasma was MORE efficient than the 46" LCD tv;s.  Although, LED is still the best from an energy standpoint (although the upfront additional cost may not make up the saving differences unless you keep it for like 10+ years).

[r. zimm]

Yes the use of surge strips with a master switch is the way to go. We use them on the main PC/router, the laptops and the TV/DVD. We even have an older analog TV and need a converter box but we rarely watch broadcast networks.

[eds]

Here is a chart that shows, how much energy is being used,
. . . by different types of appliances,
. . . when they are in the stand-by-mode.

Source: vampireenergy