Giant TVs Push Up Power Bills

By EASTON, Paul

HOME electricity bills are going through the roof because of giant power-hungry televisions and other electronic gadgets.

Though home water heating is still the biggest electricity user, plasma and LCD televisions are fast displacing refrigerators and freezers as power hogs, say experts.

Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority production manager Terry Collins said a British study had shown consumer electronics would account for 45 per cent of domestic electricity use by 2020, up from 22 per cent now.

The past 20 years has brought an explosion in the number of electronic devices owned by the public, with flat-screen TVs, DVD players, games consoles and computer equipment filling homes.

Many are hooked up together into one electricity-eating home entertainment system.

In 1986, 6.7 per cent of homes had a personal computer. Now more than 60 per cent have one.

Many new products used more power than their predecessors, Mr Collins said. Many also waited in standby mode rather than being turned off. “You pay a lot of money for that little red light.”

Consumer behaviour was also a factor, with people now more likely to use their television than radio for background noise.

Plasma and LCD televisions sales had boomed in recent years as prices had come down, he said.

Plasma-screen televisions that once sold for $30,000 now sell for $2000.

They use more electricity than traditional cathode-ray TVs, because their screens are larger.

Over eight hours a new large- screen television could use about three times the electricity of an medium-sized cathode-ray TV.

“There are now TVs on sale that consume almost twice the amount of electricity as a small family fridge,” Mr Collins said.

Similar-sized sets could show huge consumption variations.

Consumers Institute senior technical writer Hamish Wilson said people should check consumption before buying appliances.

The Government is working to have minimum energy performance standards in place by 2009. They would eliminate poorly performing TVs from the market.

Consumers can now watch for the blue Energy Star mark, denoting the most energy-efficient appliances.

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