Guest Blogger, Anthony Benedict: 5 Ways to Save Energy With Your TV
By Julianne, June 8, 2011, Energy Efficiency
Now more than ever, people are finding ways to go green to minimize their impact on the environment and save money. Whether you have an older television set or a newer model, there are ways you can save energy with your TV. Here are five ways to save energy with your TV’s and add money back into your bank account.
1. Choose an Energy-Efficient TV Set
Before investing in a new TV, think about the pros and cons of the technology. Plasma TV’s, for example, use two to three times more electricity than liquid-crystal display (LCD) TV’s. Best LED TV’s, on the other hand, have backlights that shine through the LCD panel to display the images. You can turn down the LCD’s backlight for energy savings. Many LCD’s will automatically turn the backlight down during darker scenes and up during brighter scenes, conserving more energy.
2. Consider an ENERGY STAR-Certified TV
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has an ENERGY STAR program that measures energy consumption in TV’s. ENERGY STAR-certified television sets are becoming more widespread than ever. These TV’s have lower power consumption while they are on and during standby time.
3. Do Not Opt for a Large TV
Buy only as big a TV as you actually need because bigger TV’s use more electricity. For instance, a 32″ LCD TV will use half as much power as a 52″ LCD. While it might be tempting to buy a larger TV, think about the upfront cost and energy savings that a smaller TV will provide.
4. Reconfigure Your TV Settings
You can reduce your energy bill by optimizing your TV set’s picture settings. In electronics stores, TV’s are set with high brightness and contrast levels to look better and garner sales. Set your TV for home use rather than store use. For home mode, you can set your TV to cinema, movie or standard. To save energy, do not use the vivid or dynamic modes. Turn the contrast and brightness lower to your preferred level. Doing this can save you $30 to $60 per year in electricity costs.
5. Take Simple Everyday Actions
One simple thing you can do every day is to turn the TV off when you are not watching it. It is easy to leave the living room to take a shower or cook a meal and leave the television on. However, it is just as easy to save energy by turning the TV off when you are not in the room. Additionally, you can use a power strip for your TV, video game system, cable box, stereo equipment and other electronics. Then you can turn off the power strip whenever you leave the house or go to bed to conserve even more energy.
You can also watch less TV in the first place. It is healthy to develop hobbies such as going out for a walk, reading or knitting instead of watching television shows and movies for hours each day. If you live with your family or roommates, try watching TV together rather than watch multiple TV’s throughout the house to lower your TV power use.
About Anthony Benedict
By day Anthony helps to run a TV comparison site where you can find all the best Haier HDTV reviews. His hobbies include gardening, writing music, and doing what he can to make this world a greener place!
The views and opinions expressed in this blog/article are those of the guest writer, not necessary the opinion of Bounce Energy. For more information on being a guest writer for Bounce Energy, please email us at web@bounceenergy.com.
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