Television Sets and Power Usage - How to Pick a New TV and Optimize It

Television sets are perhaps the largest discretionary power consumers in many households. With most households having multiple TVs, and sometimes multiple TVs on simultaneously, it is not uncommon to be consuming 400, 500, or even 600 watts! In fact, some large plasma TVs with default settings, operated 6.75 hours per day (average for US households), may cost you $155 or more in electricity in a year (and much more in high electrical costs areas).

One key factor that I constantly harp on is that when we purchase new appliances - ANY appliance, we should consider power consumption costs. After all, if you plan to keep an appliance for 10 years, making a decision that could save you $100 a year makes a ton of sense...or cents in this case ($1000 worth).

But what TVs are best? And are there any sacrifices or trade-offs for choosing a power-sipping model?

There are a few basic rules for optimizing TV power consumption.


Basic Rules for Optimizing TV Power Consumption

1. Think long term - your TV is probably going to be with you for 5 or 10 years.
2. Only purchase as large of a screen as you really need.  For example, moving from a 42 to a 50 inch plasma may cost you $50 a year in power.
3. Purchase an energy efficient model.  CNET has a great comparative guide.
4. Calibrate your TV.  TV's are shipped with ultra-high contrast and brightness so if they are put on display, they stand out and can compete with the intense lighting of electronics show rooms.  Calibration may save you as much as $40 a year.

STEP 1: The first step is to decide on a screen size.  Be honest with yourself - are you trying to "keep up with the Jones's", or are you buying what you actually need? 

STEP 2: Review power consumption of TV's in your size range.  The CNET guide above offers some ideas, but new models constantly hit the market, so some research may be necessary.  Luckily, it's easy to generalize which types of TV's offer the best potential for power savings.

1. LED LCD TVs
2. LCD TVs
3. Plasma TVs
4. CRT TVs (but generally use less because they are generally smaller)

Most in the market for a new TV are already familiar with Plasma and LCD TV's, so I'll keep the description short.

Plasma TVs - What They Are
Plasma TVs consist of thousands of tiny cells filled with gas.  The gas is electrically charged (called plasma) which then creates a picture.  Plasma TVs are generally larger TVs, most often found in 50" and larger sizes, though Vizio makes smaller plasmas.

LCD TVs - What They Are
LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display.  LCDs contain cells of liquid crystals, which when electrically charged to different levels, create a picture.  LCD TVs have a new sub-type, called LED LCD TVs, which we will talk about after a quick Plasma vs LCD comparison.

Comparison of Plasma and LCD

• Plasma TVs generally have better contrast (primarily deeper blacks) than LCDs, though LCDs have made big strides in this area in recent years, and some see the current generation of LED LCDs as equal to Plasma
• Plasma often has a better viewing angle than LCDs, though again, LCDs have made advancements in and are very competitive.
• Plasma TVs sometimes perform slightly better with fast moving images than LCD TVs, though LCDs with good pixel response times are often comparable.
• Plasma is often slightly cheaper than LCD models of equal size.
• LCD TVs consume less power than LCD TVs - often enough to more than negate the price difference as compared to a Plasma
• Plasma TVs generate much more heat than LCD TVs - a big consideration for those in warmer climates.
• LCD TVs are lighter weight and thus easier to mount and move
• Plasma TVs may be susceptible to 'burn in' of images displayed for too long, while LCDs are not.  This may be a consideration for TVs that will pull double duty as computer monitors.  Note that plasmas have improved greatly in this area, however. 
• LCD TVs occasionally have longer lifespans, though plasmas have also improved here.

Many of the picture quality factors (such as motion blur) are not noticed by casual TV watchers, but may drive some people batty.  You seem to get a mix, and it is hard to decipher the truth because Plasma vs LCD is close to reason for a Holy War for some people.

What About LED LCD's?
LCD TVs are backlit.  Traditionally, this is done with a fluorescent bulb, but over the last few years manufacturers have introduced LED backlighting.  This is further improved LCD efficiency and also improved contrast/dynamic range (i.e. provides for darker blacks).   There are two ways in which LEDs are used - direct backlighting (aka local dimming) or edge backlighting.  Most people think direct backlighting provides the best dynamic range.

Some Final Buying Notes
Every viewing room is different, and features critical to one person may not be critical to another.  Aside form the usual criteria in picture quality (i.e. color accuracy, contrast, motion blur, viewing angle), there may be certain features that a user may want.  Manufacturers tie in direct access to the internet or specific internet sites, local data storage, and all sorts of other features.  For me, those features are unimportant, but be sure to do your homework if they are meaningful to you.

As a jump start, here is a link to Amazon's selection of  LED-Lit LCD TV's.


Calibrate Your TV to Save Power
There are a few settings you should adjust to make sure you use the least power possible.

1. Calibrate your brightness and contrast, and turn down the backlighting.  As mentioned above, these are usually cranked extra-high by default.  There are also professional calibrating services which will adjust for color accuracy.  My suggestion is to monitor AVSForum and look for your specific model - you can often find good starting points for calibration.
2. Check for power saving features built in to the TV
• Some TV's have 'power saving modes'
• Also, look to see if there is an 'instant on' option.  Instant on means you will be drawing more vampire power.
3. Reduce ambient lighting in the room.  If you have bright windows, cover them.  Turn off bright lights.  This will allow you to lower your TV's 'brightness' setting, which reduces power.
4. Again, as mentioned above, when purchasing a new TV buy only as large as necessary.
5. Turn it off when not in use.  Better yet, be sure to kill the vampire power altogether.