GreenChoices

Energy efficient TV's

Radios, televisions, hi-fis, video and DVD players, home cinema systems and so on all use energy. Between them, TVs and videos already account for 75% of all electricity consumption within the consumer electronics sector. As well as CO2 emissions, all this energy costs money, see sust-it.net for the running costs spelt out on an hourly/daily/yearly basis.  Although improving,  energy is used even when the appliance is in standby mode. The Energy Saving Trust says TVs use 3-7W in standby, compared to 140W when switched on, and they estimate that the average household wastes £37 each year by leaving appliances on standby and now spend around 10% of their electricity bill on standby power.

The technology used is changing rapidly, with analogue being replaced by digital and cathode ray tubes (old fashioned televisions) being replaced by flat screens, plasma TV and LCDs. As a guideline, newer televisions use less energy than old, larger ones use more than smaller ones, and plasma TVs use much more than either cathode ray tubes or LCDs. Sony claim that LCD televisions use up to 30% less power than plasma. Sharp have been awarded the Energy Saving Trust's 'energy saving recommended endorsement' for some of their LCD TVs. Samsung say their plasma TVs are Energy Star qualified products generally consuming less energy than similar standard products and that the power consumption of plasma TVs at standby mode is less than 1W.

When buying a new TV, as with any other electrical appliance, find out how much energy it uses, check out sust-it.net, before you buy. Taking long term running costs into your buying equation, makes sense. Look for 'Energy Efficiency' labels and, when you get it home, don't leave it on standby.

Like all mains-powered electrical devices, TVs emit electro-magnetic fields (EMFs). These EMFs have been linked to health problems - see Powerwatch for more information. The advice is to turn off the TV at the mains (TVs continue to emit EMFs even when they're off) and to sit at least six feet from the screen when it's on, but the best option remains to relegate TV use to a minimum and live life in the real world instead.

With radios there's a very environmentally-friendly option: buy a clockwork radio! The classic is the wind-up Freeplay radio, designed by Trevor Bayliss, which now comes in several different styles, including ones with solar panels to help charge the batteries. Some are AM-FM, some receive long-wave, there's even a digital-multi-band solar/wind-up radio complete with built-in clock/alarm. Many green suppliers sell some - see our list of online shops. The Centre for Alternative Technology also sell a kit for building your own crystal radio.