Televisions

Your television might be one of the biggest electricity user in your home - at worst, consuming more than your fridge.

The average home has two television sets and our number of viewing hours is increasing.

TV screens are also getting bigger. Large TVs may look great but the bigger they are, the more electricity they use. That big, wide plasma screen could cost you as much as $150 a year in electricity to run.

Plasma flat screen TVs tend to be larger, ranging from 42 to 100 inches, while LCD TVs range from 26 to 50 inches. On average, a new large flat panel TV can use around three times the electricity of a smaller traditional cathode ray tube set.

Choosing a television

Generally, people choose TVs based solely on price, size and picture quality, but there are other things to consider:

• As a general guide, smaller TVs use less power. The larger the screen, the more electricity the TV uses. Check the manual before you buy, to see how much electricity the TV uses in operation
• Plasma screens have very good high resolution picture quality and are good for viewing fast-flowing action. However, many of them can use quite large amounts of electricity
• LCDs also have very good picture quality. Many use the same or less electricity than plasma screens
• CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) TVs are becoming less popular but are still sold. They can produce as good a picture as some LCD or plasma TVs, but may be cheaper to buy and run.

Choosing by the label

The most efficient TVs carry the ENERGY STAR® mark.

An ENERGY STAR qualified television could use up to 30% less electricity than a non-ENERGY STAR qualified model - saving you money on your electricity bill.

A 42-inch non-ENERGY STAR television when used four hours a day, then left on standby for the rest of the time, can cost around $120 a year to run. The same sized ENERGY STAR qualified television could save you about $30 a year.

The ENERGY STAR specification for televisions covers both "operational" and "standby" modes, giving you indication of the total efficiency performance of a television.

Check out:

• ENERGY STAR mark
• Current list of ENERGY STAR qualified televisions
• Current ENERGY STAR retailers and where to buy
• ENERGY STAR specification for televisions

Hints and tips

• Switch your television off at the wall when you're not using it.
• When buying a television, consider what size you really need to satisfy your home entertainment requirements. For more information on choosing the right sized television for you, visit Consumer NZ.