Five TV adjustments that can reduce your electricity bill

Kerry Wan at ZDNET says changing five TV settings can lower a household’s electricity use and help cut winter energy bills. According to Perch Energy, older TVs cost about $54 per year to run while newer LED-backlit and OLED models average about $32 annually. Wan highlights EnergyGuide labels and ENERGY STAR certification as reliable ways to compare efficiency; ratings run A to G, an A is rare, and for smart TVs a D or E is considered highly efficient.

ENERGY STAR models must be about 25% more efficient than conventional sets. The five settings Wan recommends are: reduce screen brightness (use Eco or Movie modes or automatic brightness control), set a sleep timer or standby auto-off, turn off the screen when using the TV for streaming music or background audio, power the TV and peripherals down fully via a power strip (standby can still use about 0.4 watts), and consider picture technology—OLED panels can lower consumption by turning pixels off for dark scenes while higher-resolution screens (4K) have more pixels and can use more energy.

Wan notes new TVs use roughly 55 kWh per year, compared with about 550 kWh for a refrigerator, and that higher resolutions mean more pixels and potentially greater energy use. When shopping, Wan recommends an OLED TV with an EnergyGuide rating of D that is ENERGY STAR certified, but advises weighing viewing habits—many services still offer 720p or 1080p—before choosing a 4K set.

Key Topics

Tech, Tv Settings, Energyguide Label, Energy Star, Oled, Led Tvs