The Vast, Energy-Sucking Wasteland

Posted by Big Gav

Grist probably have the most talented headline writers out there - today's GristMill includes a note on increasing power consumption due to the increasing size of TV's (as does the Christian Science Monitor).

Electricity-hungry widescreen TVs spike home energy use

Jonesing for one of those technolicious, 61-inch, flat-screen, hi-def, make-your-morning-coffee televisions? It's gonna cost you -- right in the utility bill. The Natural Resources Defense Council predicts that if current design standards hold, TVs and related accoutrements (DVD players, etc.) will account for about 10 percent of home electricity use by 2009. TVs alone will suck up about 50 percent more juice by then, for a grand total of 70 billion kilowatt-hours per year in the U.S. That will mean a lot more carbon pumped into the atmosphere just so you can get a good close look at Teri Hatcher's, um, pores.

Technorati tags: peak oil

3 comments

baloghblog says 11:24 PM

Use power strips to control costs when in standby mode.

click here

That should cut down on some of the power usage.

more information on the cost of tv, vcr, dvd and home theatre use click here (well written and easy to read)

It's amazing how much energy is consumed by the production, distribution, and use of TV and home theatre products in the US when you think about it. Slightly makes ya ill. Oh, well, I gotta run, my wife TiVo'd Desparate Housewives...

baloghblog says 5:45 AM

I'll have to get one of those, that's a cool device.

Big Gav says 7:35 PM

Thanks for the links and data guys - it is amazing (but not surprising) how much power those big TVs use.

I like the idea of energy usage labels for them.

Sales of wide screen TVs have exploded here in the last couple of years - apparently the trend has been exacerbated by the $3000 "baby bonus" the government pays to new parents - many of whom rush off and buy the biggest TV they can with it...