As TVs grow, so do electric bills

Christian Science Monitor (via Yahoo) ^ | June 16, 2005 | Mark Clayton

[Drew68]

Didn't see this posted. I was out pricing HDTVs just yesterday. They are really becoming reasonable and the quality of the picture is no hype either.

I imagine very few Americans are concerned with the electricity usage of their big screen HDTVs anyways. Like SUVs, if you can afford to own them to can afford to use them.

[goldstategop]

Yep. If you can afford to live in a home, you won't be concerned with the cost of watching too much TV.

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)

[Bogey78O]

More nuke plants now.

[drt1]

I'm surprised. I really have to doubt that a Plasma or LCD TV uses more energy than a similar sized CRT TV. I know my LCD monitors use much less power than the old clunky CRT type did.

[ßuddaßudd]

Call me old skool, but my 27" set sufficiently provides all the entertainment and news I need.

[Spktyr]

Large CRT or CRT-based projectors use the most, followed by plasma (believe it or not) and other projectors, with LCDs consuming the least energy.

[Drew68]

More nuke plants now.

I was going to post the same thing. Much to the envirowhackos dismay, increased power usage is going to influence many Americans to rethink their position on nuclear power. When it comes down to "turn off your tv or build a nuke plant" you can bet Americans will decide that maybe safe, clean, cheap nuclear energy isn't such a bad idea after all.

The tree-sitters will wail and gnash their calcium-deficient rotten teeth as this mindset takes hold.

[Drew68]

Call me old skool, but my 27" set sufficiently provides all the entertainment and news I need.

I watch 5 channels maybe 5 hours a week but I still like cool toys! My 27" serves me fine as well and at under $300 it is damn near disposable.

I still want a HDTV widescreen though! They are just plain cool!

[Reeses]

Already, televisions account for about 4 percent of annual residential electricity use in the United States - enough to power all of the homes in the state of New York for a year, according to a new NRDC study.

4% is enough to power NY every year. This is a lame article, with some big TV envy going on. Where's the wattage information? The average large screen will increase your electric bill $3 per month, but you could save that by turning off a light while you use it.

[daviddennis]

Okay, let's take the high figure. 679kwh per year x 10c per kwh is $67.90 or $5.66 per month. 209kwh per year is $1.74 per month. Variations in the electric bill based on use of heaters, air conditioners, computers and other appliances will easily mask that level of variation.

Unless you're really poor, in which case you have no business buying a $2,000 TV, this just doesn't look like an exciting issue to me.

D

[Afronaut]

Wait until we all plug our cars in to recharge,,,

[Moonman62]

Also, Americans are watching some 16 percent more TV than in the 1980s - if DVD and video-game viewing is included, according to the Nielsen Group.

They may be watching more Fox News, but they aren't watching more CBSNBCABCCNN.

[Drew68]

4% is enough to power NY every year. This is a lame article, with some big TV envy going on.

That's exactly it. And I'd bet that the 4% is from homes where the TV is left on throughout the whole day. TVs may be big but they really don't use that much electricity. I could be wrong but I'd guess hairdryers and toasters use more power in the few minutes per day that they are used than a tv does all day.

[Moonman62]

LCD's and DLP's use projector bulbs. I imagine LCD's that use flourescent backlighting would be the best. If they ever get organic LED's to work that would be better still.

[ßuddaßudd]

The price of HDTV sets needs to come down a lot for me to justify that kind of money on something I am not too fond of to begin with. A $1000 tv set is just insane to me, but then again I dont play video games nor am I a movie buff.

The coolest electronic toy I have is the cordless phone. I answer to no gadget! LOL

[Drew68]

Unless you're really poor, in which case you have no business buying a $2,000 TV, this just doesn't look like an exciting issue to me.

You'd be surprised (or not) at the number of people on some form of government (i.e. taxpayer) assistance who own luxury items like big screen TVs.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

I imagine very few Americans are concerned with the electricity usage of their big screen HDTVs anyways.

Yep. And therein lies the rub as concerns the larger picture. No pun intended.

Build more nukes now. Hand over control of all nuclear plant construction, operation and maintenance to the Navy.
Navy nukes are built better than Jane Fonda!

[Drew68]

Hand over control of all nuclear plant construction, operation and maintenance to the Navy.
Navy nukes are built better than Jane Fonda!

Yep! When I'm not a terrestrial creature, I'm working aboard a CVN (nuclear powered aircraft carrier for the uninformed). Never do a fear for my safety from a nuclear mishap. The navy has an excellent track record. BTW, I believe the navy's reactors are built by Westinghouse.

[Dog Gone]

It's hard to get excited about how much electricity the TV is using when I have two central air conditioning units that run practically 24 hours a day in the Houston summer.

[kenth]

"The month after he got it, he got a call from his landlord, who noticed a big jump in the utility bill," recalls Fanara, team leader of the Energy Star program at the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). "It was the kid's big-screen television."

He's lucky the power company didn't just turn him in to the police as a possible drug suspect.