Do flat-screen TVs eat more energy?
Bad news this month for those of us considering a flat-screen Hi-Def TV who are also energy conscious: they can take more energy than a conventional CRT (Cathode Ray Tube)-based set.
This came as a surprise to me: I know that the flat-panel computer display I now use at home takes much less electricity than the similar-sized CRT it replaced.
It turns out that the big problem is the size, and the type. Most people replace a reasonable-sized CRT television set with a whopping great plasma panel. First, the new set is much bigger so you aren't replacing like with like (unlike my LCD computer display). Second, plasmas do take a significantly larger amount of power per unit area than CRTs.
There are also other problems with plasma screens, notably the fact that every time a pixel comes on, it gets tiny bit dimmer. So you can "burn in" elements that are on-screen a lot - if you had a panel on News 24 all the time, you would soon see the place where the Astons and logo are displayed. You could probably see a DOG too - but probably only if you ever watched one channel. In addition I have always found the artefacts on plasma display images an annoyance. It is quite likely that this technology does not have a long-term future in this form.
LCDs, on the other hand, are in fact more economical per unit area than CRTs (or plasmas), and here the problem is that we exchange small-diagonal sets for much larger ones. If you simply replaced your 32in 16:9 CRT with an LCD display of about the same size, you would probably save energy - and money.
In fact, while you may not be particularly concerned about limiting your carbon emissions (though I would say you should be), you should be concerned in another way: the cost of running such a unit. We already know that switching off (and not put them in standby) appliances like TVs, cellphone chargers, etc can save you 10% of your electricity bill. Not getting a bigger set - just yet - will stop you spending more.
Also bear in mind that this technology is getting better and more efficient all the time. The longer you wait, the more energy-efficient your new HD TV will be - and the better the picture, too, because some current flat-panels look quite awful.
An interim option, if you want to go for HDTV now, is to look at HD-capable CRT sets. These exist: 1080i - the standard for HDTV in the UK - was actually designed for CRT-based receivers (it's the progressive 720p format that needs a digital flat-panel). CRTs are also unfashionable and thus cheap; and they still give a better picture than flat panels currently offer. Check the power consumption and you may find they will stop you increasing your electricity bill, too.
