From Guest Blogger Lillian Connors: Energy-Efficient Ways to Use Your TV

A recent survey showed that Australians spend around four hours a day watching TV, which means that one month every year we are glued to the box. When you consider that fact alongside the one that suggests that we are buying more TV sets than ever, you can understand why people are concerned about a potential increase in energy consumption.

Still, modern technology and more responsible behaviour can help us solve that problem quite easily. The fact that there might be more TVs in your home than ever, working more hours than ever, doesn’t necessarily have to mean you’ll be wasting more energy than ever.

If you’re about to buy a new TV or recycle an old one, here are some things you need to take into consideration in order to have as little impact as possible on the environment.

Pay attention to the energy label

In both Australia and New Zealand, televisions have to meet Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) and Energy Rating Label. Each TV has an energy label which shows how much energy it consumes. While labels A and B used to mean that you were getting the most energy-efficient appliance a while back, that’s no longer the case. The current label runs from D (the least efficient) to A+++ (the most efficient) and although the prices may vary significantly, you really should factor in the energy consumption over time and how much money you’ll be saving on the electricity bill.

Screen size

Another buying habit that has changed significantly over the past several years is the size of the screens we are buying. Believe it or not, in the past decade, the size has doubled. What this means to energy consumption is that it is likely to be increased, since it takes more energy to power a larger screen than a smaller one.

So, before you splash out on a new, giant TV, consider the size. Make sure you understand what the optimum viewing distance is and how much space you have. There’s no need to get a TV that would be too big for your home since the viewing experience may be spoiled by sitting too close to a large screen.

Which type to choose?

People now choose between LCD, LED and plasma TVs. They all use state-of-the-art technologies and produce high-quality images, but if you’re looking for the most energy-efficient one, you should definitely go for a LED one. If you would still like to get more information about the different characteristics of these models, you might want to consult experts, such as those at Universal Home Theatre, who will not only answer all your questions but also wall mount the device you chose or even design the entire media room for you.

Other tips

It is estimated that almost one hundred dollars are spent each year on gadgets and appliances on standby, i.e. those plugged in, but not in use. In order to reduce consumption, you should start switching your TV off at the power switch or unplugging it. This habit is not difficult to acquire and it can prove to be quite useful.

Another thing that you can do is reduce the brightness level since it also helps you save energy, i.e. money. Make sure the picture is not too bright for your room.

Modern TVs also have an eco-mode, which you can select to be more energy-efficient, and some even come with an ambient light sensor feature, which automatically regulates the brightness of the screen, depending on how dark the room is. That means that if you switch the lights off while watching TV, you’ll be saving money in two ways. On the one hand, your lights won’t be using any electricity, while on the other, your TV will be using less energy since the picture won’t have to be that bright.

Whichever TV you decide to use or buy, there are some things you can do to make it as energy-efficient as possible. The fact that modern TVs come with additional features that help us achieve this goal is just a bonus, which means you need to carefully read the manual in order to learn about all the options provided by your new TV.