December 2006

Big Picture, but Big Energy User

Move over refrigerator–here comes the big screen TV.

As more Americans make the switch to big screens and high-definition, television is ripe for becoming the fourth largest home energy user. Only heating, air conditioning and water heating will consume more.

Fourth place has been held for years by refrigeration.

“The price of big screen TVs is coming down, so more people will soon be able to afford them,” says Noah Horowitz, a senior scientist at the National Resources Defense Council. “If we do nothing, it will lock in power consumption at higher levels. People keep a TV five to 15 years, so we need to get started making them efficient as they can be.”

Experts predict by 2009 half of all TV sales will be high-definition and big screen. TV electricity use will rise to 70 billion kilowatt-hours, about 50 percent higher than now.

Besides the sets themselves using more energy, Americans are spending more time at the TV because of DVDs and video games.

The bottom line is that individual consumers may see their electric bills rise as much as 10 percent. Many homes will have more than one big screen TV while relegating the TVs they replaced to other less-frequented rooms. It may not be unusual for homes to have upwards of 10 TV sets.

<back>