How to Save Money When Buying a New TV

While your television set may not be one of the biggest users of energy in the home, it represents one part of the big picture in lowering energy use. You can save anywhere from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars each year, depending on your set’s specifications. So the next time you’re thinking of purchasing a new TV, make sure you think “energy savings” when making your choice.

ENERGY STAR Ratings and TVs

Even though consumption rates of various brands and models vary, they are all governed by the ENERGY STAR® rating. And while the original rating system only measured a TVs standby power (or the amount of power consumed while the set was off), the newer Version 4.1, which took effect in May 2010, sets even lower rates for on-mode energy consumption, which saves customers 40% in energy costs over previous models.

In 2012, the power consumption will again go down, with 65% in energy savings when Version 5.1 is implemented.

More Power Consumption Saving Tips

Other ways of saving on power consumption is to adjust your TV’s brightness and contrast down. The rule is the higher the brightness or contrast, the more energy that is used to power your set.

With the switch from analog to digital, more and more people are buying new sets every day. With most of these being bigger than their previous sets, choosing an energy-efficient model is more important than ever.

For a comprehensive list of TVs and their estimated annual energy consumption (kWh/ year) at http://www.simplesteps.org/home-garden/energy/efficient-tvs#less.