Is Your TV an Energy Vampire?

Judging by the popularity of Twilight and True Blood, the undead are totally hot right now. But vampires are less appealing when they’re sitting in your living room in the form of a major appliance, sucking up energy and raising your utility bills.

According to research conducted in June by Sharp and Angus Reid, TVs now account for up to 10 percent of residential energy consumption—and it’s the new, good-looking flat-screen models that are largely to blame. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, an LCD (liquid crystal display) TV can use twice as much energy as a conventional CRT (cathode-ray tube), the portly TV of yesteryear, and a plasma TV can use as much as five times the energy. It's no surprise then that this month, California energy regulators, worried about meeting the state's  electricity demands, announced they are considering a ban on big-screen TVs, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Sharp’s recently released study conveniently coincides with the release of the company’s new AQUOS LED (light emitting diode) line of LCD TVs (the LE700 series (pdf)), which they claim are the most energy efficient in the world. Sharp says (pdf) that if the average consumer were to switch to one of their new 52” AQUOS LCD TV with LED backlight from a previous generation 52” LCD TV, he or she would save 91,260 watts per year. Enough energy, they say, to play 31,289 5-minute songs on your CD player.

“Green is becoming more top of mind for many consumers,” says Kevin Andrews, product manager for consumer electronics at Sharp. (Though size, price and picture quality continue to rank as higher concerns according to the study.) “But when consumers buy a TV, they rarely know the true energy story behind it.”

As the name suggests, the panels on the new TVs are still LCD, but the backlit system is LED, a more precise light output (which adjusts to the level of light in a room) that generates less heat is more durable, which leads to greater energy efficiency and a longer life span. Sony, Samsung, LG and Philips have also introduced LED models.

Greenpeace International released its updated Guide to Greener Electronics in July, and they did applaud Sharp’s attempts at energy conservation with their new line of TVs. Dave Martin, climate and energy coordinator for Greenpeace Canada, shies away from endorsing the new Sharp line, but does say that when it comes to TVs, you have to look at both small and big pictures: saving money and saving the environment.

“Energy efficiency is a winner for the environment and for consumers in a very direct way,” says Martin. “We know that the price of energy is getting higher. It’s a non-renewable resource…. As we continue to exhaust conventional oil and gas supplies and move toward much more expensive unconventional supplies—such as tar sands or deep water or remote frontier oil and gas—all of those things are more expensive.”

When shopping for new electronics and appliances, Martin recommends that consumers can look for Energy Star-approved models. Energy Star is an international program overseen in this country by Natural Resources Canada’s Office of Energy Efficiency, and approved items can consume up to 75 percent less energy than similar competitors.

So keep efficiency in mind if you’re after a brand-new flat-screen TV, but you might also consider holding onto that old chubby model you’ve had for years, if it’s still in pretty good shape. Vampires may be hot right now, but not when you have to open your wallet every month to feed them.