What to look for when purchasing a new television

Posted by Guest Blogger on December 23, 2013

As technology continues it improve, televisions are becoming bigger, thinner and sharper. With so many choices on the market, it can be hard to decide what type of television to purchase when you are ready to upgrade. Given that televisions are a mainstay in the home and used often, it only makes sense to make energy efficiency a factor in the buying decision.

Size and technology all impact a televisions energy use. However, LED televisions have the lowest energy consumption, especially when you turn down the backlight. Plasma televisions aren’t as energy efficient, but they are still better than an old-school cathode-ray tube (CRT) television. In addition, look for the ENERGY STAR label. ENERGY STAR certified televisions are over 25 percent more energy efficient than conventional models on average, ENERGY STAR televisions also save energy in all usage modes: sleep, idle, and on.

If you are not currently looking for a new television, there are still several things you can do to lower the energy impact of your television:

• Power down the television completely when it’s not in use.
• Check to see if your television has some kind of power saver mode. If so, activate this feature.
• Watch television in a dark room. It improves picture clarity while requiring less backlight.

For additional energy-saving tips, videos and resources, visit WH’s energy conservation page.