Energy-Efficient TVs For The Eco-Minded

Christopher Lawton wrote an interesting piece on eco-friendly TVs for the Wall Street Journal today.

Amid mounting environmental concerns, TV manufacturers are racing to make energy-efficient sets, with some now launching "eco" branded TVs.

Vizio Inc., Funai Electric Co. and Sharp Corp., for instance, recently unveiled TVs that claim power savings that exceed the U.S. government's latest "Energy Star" standards for TVs by as much as 29%. Samsung Electronics Co., Sony Corp. and Panasonic Corp., are also launching energy-efficient TVs.

Some of the TVs, such as one model from Vizio's "EcoHD" models, use fewer or different lamps to illuminate the screen, thereby reducing power use. Funai Electric, which manufactures and distributes Philips-branded flat-panel TVs in the U.S., has two series of eco TVs that save power through a dimming technology that adjusts the brightness of the backlight on the LCD panel based on the ambient light in the room.

Most TVs still consume a small amount of power when they are turned off -- something Sony targeted when it came up with an energy-savings switch on some models that cuts off the TV's power consumption when the set is off without interfering with other devices, such as a DVR. The TV also comes with a motion sensor that turns off the device's backlight if no motion is detected in the room after a certain period of time.

The rush for eco-friendly TVs comes as many consumers are looking for ways to save money on their utility bills. According to the California Energy Commission, TVs rank third in the amount of power used in a home, behind heating-and-cooling systems and refrigerators. When associated devices -- cable boxes or game consoles -- are included, TV set-ups consume roughly 10% of the electricity in a home, the commission says.

It will be interesting to see how the market changes with the addition of these new (and more expensive) TVs and which companies come out on top in the race to market.