Tips for Choosing the Most Energy Efficient TV Set

It's easy to be blinded by technology and with TV sets becoming more and more sophisticated and spectacular, the big challenge is on which unit to purchase that will give a lot of bang for your buck and give you energy efficiency at the same time. Depending on its size and type, a TV set can consume from about 45 watts to about 500 watts. If you do the math, you'll probably see that dollar-wise, that's a difference of over $100 a year.

Small is big on savings
It's an unfortunate consequence of size (also known as the rebound effect), but if you want an energy efficient TV set, you'll find one in a smaller-sized TV. It's really a question of consumption and since bigger-sized TVs need more power to run efficiently, it's just natural that they consume more energy. That means if you compare two TVs, the bigger and meaner TV will cost you more money and demand more energy than a smaller one.

Let's try to compare an LCD TV with the older CRT version. Generally, an LCD TV that is 40" or below will be more energy efficient compared to the CRT TV. But if you're going for bigger sizes such as TVs that start at 50" up, your money will be better spent on a rear-projection TV than on an LCD or a plasma. You'll save about 50% energy on the projection TV. On the downside, the picture will not be as good.

Terms of use
If you're looking to buy a newer TV set that consumes less energy, then you'll probably be choosing between an LCD and a plasma TV. Of the two, experts recommend the LCD TV for its energy efficient features, which can be negated if you choose a larger screen. Energy use spikes up only when LCD screens display solid colors. Consumption is also affected by static electricity.

Plasma TVs, on the other hand, are generally considered gobblers of energy, although consumption, in the end, will vary depending on what you will be watching. The brighter the pictures, the more pixels that get illuminated and the more energy the TV will consume.