Tv Power Consumption
The new age of digital Tv in the Uk brings us many new possibilities. More channels and choice, high definition broadcasts with superb picture quality and interactivity, and increasing carbon emissions!
Twenty years ago most households had one television set. Now the typical home is estimated to have 3 or 4 Tv’s, 2 DVD players, a PC and monitor, a couple of set top boxes and a radio or two. All of these are nearly always powered up, albeit in standby mode.
Can we be blamed? Probably not. The cost of manufacture has fallen considerably over the last quarter of a century and with manufacturers making even more sophisticated and desirable Tv equipment, we all want the next must have!
It is thought that by 2020 all the extra gadgets could drive domestic energy usage up by as much as 20% compared to todays’ figures. This would be a huge increase and even the most anti-green people would have to agree. Today the estimated domestic standby usage of the Uk is around 5% of total electricity use, 1% of total CO2 emissions.
The Energy Saving Trust believe that a typical household in the Uk has up to 12 pieces of equipment either charging or in standby mode at any given time. That is around £740million that could be knocked of the Uk’s total domestic electricity bill yearly.
The obvious way forward is probably simple in theory but can be difficult in practice. Phone chargers and radios can be turned off when not in use but some equipment, Sky boxes, PVR’s and HD recorders require constant power to retain full functionality. If not software issues and settings may become affected. The solution would then be more energy efficient equipment, and this will become one of the main selling points for new products in the near future.
The International Energy Agency have stepped up to the mark with the 1 watt initiative. They would like to see the standby power usage of all new electrical equipment down to 1 watt by 2010. At the moment most new Tv’s are around this figure, but most satellite and cable boxes, DVD players and terrestrial set top boxes are consuming a higher amount of power. Some are close at around 2-3 watts but there are products out there using up to 20 watts.
Good news beckons though as most Tv manufacturers are already developing more energy efficient equipment. There is talk of passive standby circuitry in TV’s and set top boxes where only the absolute minimum required circuitry is powered up. Sky are implementing auto-standby functions to their Sky plus and Sky Hd receivers and major manufacturers are finding ways to reduce Tv power usage.
Overall the future probably isn’t bleak and it looks like the issues are already being addressed. With a little more consumer awareness everyone can benefit from reduced household electrical bills regardless of which side of the green fence you sit.