Technology advances have driven down the energy use of all new TVs by more than half since 2006
Along with patio heaters, SUVs and incandescent lightbulbs, flat-screen TVs became one of the products most loathed by environmentalists in the last half decade. But over the same period, they have become greener than the hulking cathrode ray tubes they replaced, and cut their average electricity consumption by more than half, new figures from energy campaigners show.
Technology advances have driven down the energy use of all new TVs by 60% since 2006, leaving a 42-inch plasma TV today costing just £14 a year to run compared with around £80 in 2006, in 2011 prices. Over 2m flat-screens were sold in the UK last year, out of a total of 9.5m new TV sets, and globally TVs account for about 6-8% of electricity consumption in homes.
Ross Lamas, the founder of energy efficiency site Sust-it, who compiled the data by looking at 1,800 models, said new lighting developments were largely responsible: "The main thing that's driving it is the LED technology to backlight the TV. There has been a surge in the past 18 months, with LED TVs really picking up. They were very expensive at first, but are now equivalent on price to LCDs."
He also predicted that mandatory A-G energy labels for TVs due to be introduced December would lead to the decline of plasma-based screens. "Plasmas still use a hell of power. I think they [the consumer electronics companies] will start phasing them out soon. As soon as energy labels come in, people will see how much energy they actually use."
Which? magazine editor Martyn Hocking, said the figures tallied with its own research. "Flat-screen TVs are significantly more energy efficient these days. 40 inch TV's would often use up to 300 watts three years ago, but some now use as little as 70 watts. We're seeing similar results with other white goods, such as fridges, freezers and washing machines."
A spokesman with the government's Energy Saving Trust said they expected energy consumption from TVs to drop "considerably" with the increased take-up of LED TVs.
The Sust-it research also shows that modern flat-screens now use less energy than the boxy CRTs they were initially criticised for replacing. A new 32-inch LED TV uses about 75% less energy than a 32-inch CRT, costing £8 a year to run rather than £32.
But while the picture for TVs is one of increased efficiency, the British public's insatiable appetite for gadgets from myriad computers and iPhones to coffee machines and home entertainment systems is forecast to see energy use spiral at a time of rising energy prices. Consumer electronics were predicted to become the biggest consumer of electricity in our homes by 2010, knocking lighting and refrigerators off as the traditional top guzzlers of electricity at home. An Energy Saving Trust report in October is likely to confirm this shift has taken place.
Energy efficiency savings from newer TVs are also likely to be cancelled out by the fact we will own more of them with forecast of an average 2.6 per home by 2020, up from 2.4 today.
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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jul/29/flat-screen-tv-electricity
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