i3 - September/October 2017 - 34

Policy

By Elliot Grimm

G R E E N P O L I CY

Television Innovation
Saving Energy
and Making Cents

According to a recent study conducted by
the Rochester Institute of Technology
(RIT) and commissioned by Staples, not
only are fewer materials used to make tech
products, but materials of concern, such as
t's industry innovation - not government regulations
lead and mercury, are being used less in
- that has brought televisions bigger screens, better
tech devices entering the market today.
picture quality and new features to market, all while
Industry innovation continues to be the
saving consumers energy and money.
best driver to advance the energy efficiency and sustainability of our devices.
And manufacturers deserve credit for the
Chances are, the television in your living room has functions and picture quality
ingenuity and commitment to making
unimaginable just a decade ago. Today's TVs bring real-life images into our
more energy efficient products that cut
homes and allow us to record and stream our favorite shows with the push of
power consumption, reduce greenhouse
a button. The progress of innovation is immediately apparent when looking at
gas emissions and lower conold and clunky cathode-ray tube (CRT) TVs. Televisions now
sumers' energy bills.
have bigger screens and weigh three times less.
As display technology evolves
Not as apparent, however, is the positive impact innovaOur tech
- as witnessed at CES every
tion is having on energy consumption and the savings being
devices
January - consumers continue
passed on to consumers.
are
now
thinner,
to win through market driven
A new CTA study, LCD Television Power Draw Trends 2003
lighter, faster,
solutions. TVs have been the
to 2015, found that LCD TVs from 2015 consume 76 percent
smarter
centerpiece of home entertainless energy (per screen area) than TVs did in 2003. The reducment centers for decades, and
tion means real savings for consumers - costing on average
and much
as recent research findings
only six cents per day to power one TV, compared to more
more energy
demonstrate, TVs take center
than 20 cents per day in 2003. The findings show how the
efficient.
stage with their energy effiindustry provides the latest and greatest technology to conciency achievements as well.
sumers while remaining committed to increasing environmental sustainability.
Regarding public policy, voluntary, market-driven initiatives
and partnerships, such as ENERGY STAR®, have been most
effective in promoting energy efficiency because they allow
industry the ability to compete and innovate. It's important for
TVs Make "Cents" and Cost Less
the industry to be able to invest in R&D, meet consumer
TVs are bigger, sharper and smarter than ever -
demand and collaborate on energy efficiency technologies. Our
but use 76 percent less energy than they did in 2003.
tech devices are now thinner, lighter, faster, smarter and much
You pay only about $.06 a day to power your TV!
more energy efficient.
According to the study, TVs' declining energy consumption
400
largely stems from improvements in lighting technology and its
350
operation. For example, backlight dimming reduces the power
300
needed to display high-resolution images. Additionally, energy
250
efficient features such as Automatic Brightness Control (ABC)
200
and Motion Detection Dimming (MDD), which dynamically
150
adjusts screen brightness in response to indoor lighting conditions, have become more common. The CTA study also found
100
the passive standby draw of TVs dropped 63 percent.
50
While energy consumption has dropped, the average TV
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
screen size has increased to 40 inches, representing more than
20 percent growth since 2010. At the same time, there have
been other outcomes favorable to environmental sustainability.
34

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017

I T I S I N N O VAT I O N

Source: CTA, LCD Television Power Draw Trends 2003 to 2015

Energy (MW/in.)

http://CTA.tech/research http://CTA.tech/research

i3 - September/October 2017

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