Meet the Digital Deadline Without Wasting Cash or Energy

By Kathryn McGrath

In just under two weeks, on June 13, all broadcasters must switch from an analog to a digital signal. If at this point you still have an older analog television and are using an antenna, you'll either need to purchase a converter box, get cable or find something new to do with your off hours.

Today's bigger, better and brighter TVs consume a lot more electricity than the old cathode ray tube sets of a decade ago. When combined with related devices, TVs make up about 10% of the average household's annual electricity bill. Toss in gaming consoles and home theater systems and you may be accounting for some serious electricity consumption—and pollution.

Even when you think these products are off, together their standby consumption—referred to as "phantom" electricity loads—can be equivalent to that of a 75 or 100 watt light bulb running continuously.

Cutting Energy Costs

The average home has roughly two TVs, a VCR, a DVD player and three telephones. If these items were replaced with ENERGY STAR models, it would save over 25 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions, the equivalent to taking over 3 million cars off the road.  If replacing the electronics in your home with more energy efficient models isn't an option, consider plugging them into a power strip that will allow you to eliminate the "phantom" loads they may draw when not in use.

DVRs and products like the Tivo and Slingbox certainly provide a convenient way to watch TV, but they consume energy since they're always on.  Cable and satellite television providers generally choose the unit for the customer and they have little reason to care about the energy consumption of the unit: Set-top boxes use about 30 to 40 watts, 24 hours per day.  Most DVRs do not include energy-saving features, leaving owners few or no options for reducing the energy consumption.  NRDC is working with the industry and with regulators to improve this situation. Energy Star added energy-efficiency guidelines for digital cable ready (DCR) televisions with a point of deployment (POD) slot. Basically, these TVs add the functions of a cable box to your television set by using a card that you can get from your local cable operator. 

In the meantime, there's plenty you can do to reduce the energy consumption of your current equipment when it's on and when it's "off":

• Look through your television's menu system for energy- or power-saving modes and use them if your TV has them.
• Reduce the brightness setting of your television.  TVs sometimes come set from the factory at higher-than-necessary brightness levels.  For many TVs, brighter settings require more power and don't necessarily provide a better picture.  In fact, you may prefer the way your TV looks with the brightness set a little lower.
• Control the light in the room so that the TV doesn't have to work so hard to overpower the ambient light. By closing the shades you can keep your house cooler in the summer and by turning down the lights you will save even more electricity.
• Use power strips to switch off televisions, home theater equipment, and stereos when you're not using them or when you go out of town. If you're buying a new TV look for a unit that includes a built-in DVD player and POD slot, they usually consume less energy in standby mode than separate components.
• Make your entire home more energy efficient; take the home tour and learn which improvements would have the most impact on your power bill.
• If you're purchasing a digital-to-analog converter box, ENERGY STAR–qualified models are available.

Buying a New TV

ENERGY STAR requirements for TVs, which NRDC helped design, are much more stringent and include standards for both standby and active modes. TVs with the ENERGY STAR label will be up to 30% more efficient than non-qualified models.

Before you purchase a new TV, assess your needs. It's easy to be seduced when standing by larger and more expensive sets once you enter a store.  In fact, most stores are set up to persuade you to do just that, so write down exactly what you need in terms of television size, type, and price—and take your notes with you when visiting the store.  Remember that when comparing televisions of the same type (e.g. LCD, projection, plasma), larger televisions generally consume more power than smaller ones when turned on.  There is, however, a wide range of variation in energy efficiency across different types of television technologies.  However, LCD TVs are generally more efficient than plasmas and come in smaller sizes, which is where the real savings kick in.

Manufacturers are already responding to the demand for more environmentally friendly televisions.  Some examples can automatically dim the screen in response to the material being watched and are manufactured using components that are free of or have low levels of poisonous metals such as lead and mercury. 

Getting Rid of Your Old TV

Remember to dispose of your old television properly. Old electronics are a fast growing portion of America's waste and can present an environmental hazard if not disposed of properly. With an average of four pounds of lead in many older TV picture tubes, along with other potentially hazardous materials, electronics call for special handling at the end of their lives-or when being replaced by a newer model. Check Earth911.org for electronics recycling options in your area or donate items to a local charity.

Donating or recycling your outdated electronics supports the recovery and reuse of valuable materials and encourages the safe management of their potentially hazardous components. It also helps reduce the pollution and energy use tied to the production of new electronics. Finally, it can put a computer, television, or cell phone in the hands of someone who really needs it.