Most Energy Efficient TVs In World (& In North America)

This post comes to us from Planetsave.com. For more along these lines, visit Planetsave or some of its most popular categories: Global Warming, Science, Going Green Tips, Animals, or 10 Friday Photos.

 
Look around your home — what do you think uses the most energy? One of the first things you notice is probably a large-screen TV — they’re more and more common these days. And you know that huge TV is pulling energy. Even if TVs have become a lot more efficient than those lunky boxes of the past (yep, they certainly have), they aren’t exactly night lights. Those beast use a bit of electricity.

So, next time you’re in the market for a TV, how about helping the world and helping your pocketbook (the energy savings will add up!) by going with a super efficient TV.

I remember the last time I was shopping for a TV — I wanted the greenest, most efficient I could find. However, I couldn’t really find a ranking or much information on the matter. The good news is, the first ever SEAD Global Efficiency Medal competition for flat-panel televisions was just completed. TVs have officially been ranked.

The overall story is that LG and Samsung are the clear leaders. But the specific winning TVs vary depending on what sort of TV (or what size) you’re in the market for. Here are the official winners, via sister site CleanTechnica:

SEAD Global Winners

• The Samsung UN26EH4000F received the SEAD Global Efficiency Medal in the small-size (less than 29 in.) category.
• Two Samsung models, the UE40EH5000W and UN40EH5000F, tied as the global winner in the medium-size (29 in. to less than 42 in.) category.
• The LG 47LM670S received the SEAD Global Efficiency Medal in the large-size (42 in. and above) category.
• An LG 47-inch backlit LCD prototype TV won the SEAD Global Efficiency Medal in the emerging technology category

SEAD North America Winners

• Samsung UN26EH4000F in the small-size category;
• Samsung UN40EH5000F in the medium-size category; and
• LG 47LM6700 in the large-size category

 
Looks good. Now you’ve got your list.

However, one more interesting thing to consider was brought up by one of our readers over on CleanTechnica: “When shopping around, it is important not to look just for the lowest energy consumption of the appliance, but also the green creds of the manufacturer. Whether they limit their CO2 emissions, use non-toxic flame retardants, reduce waste, recycle, etc. All this makes a big difference for the environment. In this respect, Samsung has outperformed LG according to greenpeace: Guide to Greener Electronics.” Good points. Duly noted.

Two More Things

Before we rush out to buy our new smart TVs, there are a couple more things to keep in mind:

1. What size TV do you really need? There’s no avoiding it: bigger TVs require more energy. Do you really need the biggest on the market? Could you simply move your chairs or couch a little closer to the TV to achieve a better, more detailed view? It’s your call, but certainly give it some consideration.

 
2. While TVs have gotten better at not sucking energy while not on, they all still do at least a bit. Additionally, many of the additional electronics you hook up to TVs really do so (i.e. DVRs, Xboxes & Playstations, DVD players, etc). If you’re not going to be using your TV (or any of those other electronics) for a bit, unplug them. You can easily do so with a smart plug where you just hit the switch to “unplug” them all. Especially before going on vacation or such, remember to unplug your silent energy users.

Any more thoughts on the matter? Chime in below!

Image Source: LG

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