Do you wonder why there are two sides to an appliance store? On this side, the entire white goods-appliance industry entices you to buy washing machines and refrigerators with promises of lowering your energy cost for years to come; yet just across that aisle, power-hungry large-screen TVs sell you with gorgeous images, muted not just in sound, but about their appetite for wattage as well. It’s inverted logic: with white goods, we read the yellow EnergyStar sticker to figure out how paying more today saves long-term money; in consumer electronics, we pay more for the fastest and biggest gadget while locking into long-term increased power consumption.
It’s amazing to see how in just 20 footsteps people can forget that all electricity comes from the same place, and we’re lost without those yellow EnergyStar stickers. It highlights how marketing continues to drive most people’s ideas about energy consumption. I think this is important for everyone to think about because consumer electronics consumption is currently creating an upcoming community problem: power shortages and higher costs due to uncontrolled demand.
In October 2006, ISO New England released its latest predictions of energy supply for the region. For the second year in a row, they’ve predicted an electricity shortage for New England for summer 2008. While I’m no expert when it comes to analyzing the data ISO New England uses, I’m doing everything I can to reduce my power consumption now so I don’t contribute to the electric grid overload. And lowering my National Grid bill isn’t a bad goal either.
In general I’ve found that 32-inch LCD TVs are a fair trade-up in terms of power consumption over any 32- or 36-inch CRT TV. The current technology behind 40- to 50-inch LCDs and plasma TVs yield consumers problematic energy draw requirements (some 50-inch plasma TVs draw up to three times the power of a 36-inch CRT TV in active mode). LCD computer screens will actually save most people a little money on their monthly electric bill.
So I’ll wait on any large-screen-TV purchase until new LED-based technology that is two to four years away drives down the power consumption and cost while increasing picture quality. And the EPA is reportedly re-opening their testing standards when it comes to rating energy consumption for TVs. Who knows? Maybe 2007 will be the year when we’ll get yellow EnergyStar stickers for both sides of the appliance store. For now, why not save that chunk of entertainment change and keep your screen size around 32 inches? We’ll all be glad you did if we don’t experience those predicted brownouts.
Tom Aciukewicz is a Harvard writer interested in energy interdependence, who believes that our collective individual energy usage influences everyone—our families, communities, and politics.