Energy Saving in TVs: 5 Settings to Lower Your Electricity Bill

Modern TVs consume significantly less power compared to products of the last decade, thanks to advanced display panels and increased energy efficiency. While the power consumption for an old TV might cost about $54 annually, this cost decreases to about $32 annually for newer models like LED or OLED screens. It is natural for a TV's energy demand to increase with screen size, but there are many effective TV settings for energy saving and reducing your electricity bill.

What are EnergyGuide Ratings and Energy Efficiency Labels?

When considering buying a new TV, it is important to look for energy consumption efficiency labels such as the EnergyGuide label in the United States and the ENERGY STAR rating. The EnergyGuide label (yellow) provides estimated information about the annual cost of a TV's energy consumption and a comparison with other models of similar screen size, which helps in making an informed purchase decision. In other regions, such as the European Union, energy efficiency labels with ratings from A to G are used, where rating A indicates the highest efficiency. With recent updates to these ratings (March 2021), obtaining an A rating has become very rare, and categories D or E are often considered highly efficient for modern smart TVs. As for the ENERGY STAR program, managed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), it distinguishes very high-efficiency products that exceed standard criteria, and ENERGY STAR certified TVs are 25% more energy efficient than conventional models.

TV Settings You Can Adjust to Save Energy:

• Reduce Brightness: While brightness enhances the viewing experience, excessive levels can negatively affect clarity and contrast and increase TV energy consumption. Many modern smart TVs feature Automatic Brightness Control (ABC) sensors that automatically adjust lighting based on ambient light. For maximum energy efficiency and a realistic viewing experience, it is recommended to look for energy saving settings such as "Eco mode" or "Movie mode" and enable them.
• Adjust Sleep Timer: To save energy in your TV and prevent unnecessary power consumption, especially if you tend to fall asleep while watching, activate the sleep timer. This setting ensures the TV automatically turns off after a specified period of inactivity. Standby mode can also be activated for a similar goal.
• Turn off the screen when playing music: When listening to music through your TV, visuals are not necessary. Many TVs offer an option to turn off the screen completely to save energy. If this option is not available, you can simply reduce brightness to lessen power consumption.
• Power Down Completely: To effectively lower your electricity bill, it is essential to completely turn off the TV. Although modern TVs consume about 55 kilowatt-hours (kWh) annually, in standby mode, they still use about 0.4 watts. To radically reduce power consumption, it is advisable to connect the TV and all peripherals to a power strip with a master switch, allowing you to disconnect power from all devices at once.
• Picture quality and energy consumption: For maximum energy saving, OLED TVs are an excellent choice due to their advanced technology. OLED screens' pixels emit their own light and can be individually turned on and off, providing deep blacks, superior contrast, and overall lower power consumption. When displaying dark scenes, OLED TVs turn off individual pixels, which reduces power consumption compared to traditional LCD screens that rely on constant backlighting. However, it should be noted that high resolution means a greater number of pixels, which may increase power usage. For example, a 4K screen contains 8.29 million pixels, four times that of a 1080p screen, and may require more power. Therefore, before purchasing, assess your viewing habits to determine if the high energy consumption of a 4K TV is suitable for your needs.