Flat-screen TVs improve their energy use

Flat-screen TVs are greener than the cathode ray tubes they replaced and have cut their electricity consumption by more than half, UK energy campaigners say. Technology advances have allowed flat-screen TVs, long criticized by environmentalists for their power consumption, to cut their average energy use by 60 percent since 2006, The Guardian reported Friday. The energy efficiency site Sust-it, which compiled the data by examining 1,800 models, said new lighting developments were largely responsible for the improvement. The "main thing that's driving it is the LED technology to backlight the TV," Sust-it founder Ross Lammas said. "There has been a surge in the past 18 months, with LED TVs really picking up. They were very expensive at first, but are now equivalent in price to LCDs." Martyn Hocking, editor of Which? Magazine, said the magazine's own research confirmed Sust-it's findings. "Flat-screen TVs are significantly more energy efficient these days," he said. "Forty-inch TV's would often use up to 300 watts three years ago, but some now use as little as 70 watts. We're seeing similar results with other white goods, such as fridges, freezers and washing machines." Sust-it said modern flat-screens now use less energy than the boxy tube televisions they replaced. A new 32-inch LED TV uses about 75 percent less energy than a 32-inch CRT, costing $13 a year to run rather than $52, it said.