I like the way you think! :)
Posted on 11/27/2008 7:12:11 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
For the shoppers who set out on Black Friday to find a new television, there are plenty of fancy models to choose from. But for those concerned about the energy-sucking behemoths, there are now steps to make the TV-watching experience a little greener.
Currently, there are 275 million TVs in the U.S. consuming about 50 billion kilowatt hours of energy each year. And TV energy use surely will grow as the devices grow in number, size and functionality: an HD movie or videogame on a 52-inch widescreen TV uses a lot more energy than a standard definition picture on a 27-inch tube TV. A sophisticated home entertainment system can cost $200 in electricity costs a year to operate.
"It's pretty easy now to buy a wide-screen TV that uses twice as much energy as a refrigerator," which used to be the No. 1 energy-using appliance in the home, said Jon Beers, residential service manager for Madison Gas & Electric.
Now, energy use standards are beginning to tighten for TVs. Prior to this month, Energy Star guidelines for TVs only factored in the power a television used when it was on "standby" -- turned off, but plugged in. Unlike other appliances like washers and dryers, TVs use a significant amount of power on standby so they can turn on instantly.
But on Nov. 1, new guidelines took effect that also include operating power. The major hurdle for operating power standards was getting manufacturers to agree on a standard test to measure all types of TVs, something the International Electrotechnical Commission accomplished in about 18 months.
The standards that took effect Nov. 1 for TVs will mean they use about 30 percent less energy, according to Katharine Kaplan, an Environmental Protection Agency project manager who handles Energy Star for consumer electronics and IT.
"We believe this is a great starting point, but we also recognize that there's still room for further savings," she said. "We said that no later than, but quite possibly earlier than, September 2010 we'll put a new spec in place. And we're quite hopeful that we can get significant additional savings."
Those next-level standards are likely to come from significant hardware changes and new technologies, like LED (light emitting diode) and OLED (organic LED) technologies that have just started hitting the market and are very expensive, she said.
Noah Horowitz, a senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council, called the Nov. 1 standards "a huge beneficial first step," adding that "2010 is where we hope to see not only changes in settings but adoption of the more efficient technologies."
The NRDC will be active in the process of setting the 2010 standards, he said.
"The big story that hasn't been told is the panel makers that make the guts of TVs are offering 'eco' TVs with power savings of 30 to 50 percent over today's TVs," Horowitz said. "Many of them are applying a film to the panel that enables light to come through more effectively."
Horowitz said manufacturers typically offer a set or two using such technologies, but he would like to see them implemented across whole product lines.
While some types of TVs use less energy than others -- LCD (liquid crystal display) typically uses less than plasma, for example -- and smaller TVs use less than bigger TVs, proper settings can provide greater savings.
The key to the Nov. 1 standards is what is called a "forced menu." A menu pops up when the TV first is turned on in a home and forces the consumer to choose between "store" and "home" settings.
The "store" setting is a brighter, energy-guzzling mode manufacturers choose for TV sets shipped to stores. It's fine for attracting attention in a big-box store, but unnecessarily bright for a living room.
"The human eye is drawn to brightness and manufacturers want their TVs to stand out in a store so they crank the brightness and contrast up," said Kris Hodgkins, a consultant with American TV's AV Design custom home theater division.
The home setting is a more subdued setting that provides a better picture, longer TV life and the energy savings of perhaps 30 percent.
"This is a way to hopefully drive consumer behavior to energy savings and get a setting that's better for the home," Kaplan said. "Ideally this will be an easy win for everybody: the consumer, the manufacturer and the environment."
Many TVs also have an automatic brightness adjustment setting that can be turned on so the TV adjusts itself for the lighting -- whether it's a sunny day or nighttime -- giving consumers another way to save energy.
Kaplan cautioned that TVs that qualified for an Energy Star rating under the old standards can still be sold with those stickers on. A list of qualified TVs under the new standards is available at energystar.gov.
In addition, the Federal Trade Commission is developing energy guide stickers that provide the estimated energy cost of the TV. Such stickers are common on many appliances and provide a handy reference for consumers.
American TV can help shoppers adjust their TV to more appropriate settings for the home. The store recently began offering more sophisticated computer-assisted calibration of TVs developed by the Imaging Science Foundation -- the group that developed the original standards for color television.
ISF calibration is included with custom home theater setups done by American's AV Design unit, and is available starting at $299 for one TV with two inputs (for example, a satellite system and a Blu-Ray player). Among other area retailers, Best Buy also offers ISF calibration; Circuit City offers a computerized calibration system, but a store official wasn't sure if it was ISF; and Brothers Main does not offer a computerized calibration system.
"It makes the picture correct, saves energy and prolongs the life of the TV because it's not working so hard to make such a bright picture," said Brian Hansen, home theater technical manager at American. "It's like the difference between driving your car 120 or 60 -- parts will last longer at 60."
In a demonstration at American's Beltline store using the most recent Indiana Jones movie, the differences in picture quality were readily apparent, with the ISF settings producing more true-to-life colors and a crisper picture. When a fairly bright scene was paused, the power meter showed a difference of 520 watts in "store mode " vs. 365 watts with the ISF settings -- a savings of more than 42 percent. The differences were about the same percentage-wise, though at lower levels, with darker scenes.
Consumer interest in energy savings is growing, but Hansen estimates that only about 10 percent of customers bring it up. The interest level grows when salespeople explain the links between better picture, energy savings and longer TV life, he said.
"When I work with clients, I'm looking at which TV is best for them," American's Hodgkins said. "What is the room like? Where do you sit? And then if we're talking about the pros and cons of each technology I usually will talk about energy consumption so people can make an informed decision."
The average home has two TVs, three phones, a DVD player and other electronic items that if replaced with Energy Star-qualified models would prevent emissions of 25 billion pounds of CO2, which is equal to emissions of 2 million cars, Kaplan said.
"We don't have to sacrifice," Kaplan said. "We just have to be careful about the products we purchase and then use them in the most energy-wise way. Little savings by a lot of people can have a big impact on energy costs as well as climate."
Do you do the Energy Ping List? I can’t remember...
Does this mean if I really want to be green, I should turn off the TV and never watch NBC again?? (just a thot)
Mine only causes global warming if I throw in a DVD that plays a fire burning in the fireplace.
I’ve gone green by going black. A lack of perky Couric and Steppinonupolous has done me no ill - and saved the planet to boot!
“there are 275 million TVs in the U.S. consuming about 50 billion kilowatt hours of energy each year.”
That’s just a little bit more than Al Gore’s new mansion consumes in a month.
I just shudder at the thought of all vehicles in the U.S. going electric Then we are REALLY in trouble. ~
I just adjust the tint.
I like the way you think! :)
It’s called the ‘power’ button. ;)
I’m getting tired of hearing about how standby mode is evil. I don’t feel like spending the first 20 minutes of turning on my stuff to redo all the settings every single time, my time is worth more than the electricity. If standby mode is such a vile waste of energy they should take it up with the TV/DVD/cable box makers and convince them to stop putting the settings on RAM that needs a constant supply of electricity and start putting them on EPROMs so they can be stored with no electricity.
Green is just the socialist way of letting you know that they control your life.
Oh no!!! An extra $16.66 a month!!! I'm gonna have to get a second job, and in this economy, how am I ever going to find one???? Help me!!!! I have to have a TV so the One can tell me how much my patriotic duties are going to cost!!!!
Yep. I’m married to a Techno-Geek. Our TV takes up half the living room, and I’m not kidding! He gets the heebie-jeebies if the power is off for more than an hour or so.
We had to live through Christmas Day with NO power one year. I thought he was going to go mental, LOL! It was HEAVENLY to me. :)
In fact, he just got out of bed. He’s got the wii controller in one hand and a mug of coffee in the other. *Rolleyes*
“We don’t have to sacrifice,” Kaplan said. “We just have to be careful about the products we purchase and then use them in the most energy-wise way. Little savings by a lot of people can have a big impact on energy costs as well as climate.”
BS! If you really believe that all-out efforts to combat global warming are required, then huge sacrifices will be required. The green-eco-weinies just don’t want to admit that now.
“The green-eco-weinies just don’t want to admit that now.”
Yep. They’re more than happy to incrementally boil us alive like frogs in a pot; turn up the heat a little bit every year...and no one seems to notice. ;)
Man, I wish the GOP were HALF this smart!
To TV Police
re. settings
I’ll keep my TV as loud, as sharp, and as warm as I want. I like my fine picture. Come and get me.
Signed,
A Disgruntled Citizen
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