Audio Video News

Is that UHDTV You're Eyeing Up a Power Hog?

Mark Fleischmann  |  Feb 24, 2016

Ultra HDTVs and associated technologies are the next chapter in video history. But they also use an average of 30 percent more energy than regular HDTVs. According to a report from the National Resources Defense Council, this may add $1 billion to U.S. consumers’ energy bills.

The good news is that UHDTVs are not all created equal. “There is a huge range in the efficiency of the UHD models on the market,” says Noah Horowitz, director of NRDC’s Center for Energy Efficiency. “We found an almost three-fold difference in energy consumption between the best and worst, with some models using little or no more energy than their HD predecessors.” But others suck up as much power as a fridge.

What can a conscientious (or just plain thrifty) consumer do? First, look for Energy Star certification—a good idea when buying any appliance. Then enable the auto brightness control, which adjusts for room lighting. And disable the quick-start on Internetconnected sets. Aren’t energy savings worth waiting for?

COMMENTS
brenro's picture
Submitted by brenro on February 24, 2016 - 11:39am

Currently there is a total of ONE Energy Star certified UHDTV, the Panasonic TC-50CX600U.

TheJoBoo's picture
Submitted by TheJoBoo on February 25, 2016 - 10:31am

Oooh, oooh, I want a sports car but I'm really concerned about its fuel efficiency. Are the UHD models with the best image quality the one that are sucking up the juice? If so, isn't performance the driving factor behind our a/v addiction/enthusiasm?

utopianemo's picture
Submitted by utopianemo on February 26, 2016 - 9:36am

I guarantee any UHDTV I buy is going to be more efficient than my 64" Plasma, which doubles as a space heater in the wintertime. In any case, any modest bump in consumption is more than offset by the switch we're all making from incandescent to LED bulbs. I just switched from 7 50W incandescent bulbs in my HT room to 3 6W bulbs and 4 9W bulbs. That's almost 300 Watts, in just one room.

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