Are you the type of person who is afraid of receiving a high electricity bill every month? It can be daunting to keep a budget when you're not sure how much your utilities will cost each month. Although it's usually easy to blame your provider for raising rates, the bill is more likely to be high because of your usage, even when it comes to TV.
To help you start saving money, we've identified some of the culprits behind high household energy consumption and how you can reduce your electricity costs. Among the current consumers in the house, the peak is the TV, even if it is turned off, or in standby mode.
The reason we have high electricity bills
One of the main reasons why your bill can be raised is that you leave your electronic devices or devices connected, whether you use them or not.
Although it may not have been such a problem years ago, modern devices also consume electricity when on standby.
Anyone with a watch, such as microwaves and coffee makers, and even older technologies, such as VCRs, need power even while they are turned off.
Types of TVs
As a technology that is always on the cutting edge of innovation, there are many types of TVs. In the past, large sets of cathode ray tubes (CRTs) were what most people had in their homes, but today there are a number of more elegant sets that are capable of displaying images of exceptional quality.
LCD TV
LCD panels began to appear in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The big difference for these sets from others was that they were thinner, allowing owners to mount them on a wall.
The LCD TV works by using pixels, which are tiny lights that come in red, blue, and green, which are quickly manipulated to create moving color images.
In an LCD TV, the pixels are electronically controlled by liquid crystals, giving them the name of the liquid crystal display. LCDs are also capable of consuming less power than older CRTs.
Plasma TV
In essence, plasma is a gas that can conduct electricity. At the molecular level, as more energy is supplied to this gas, more activity results, causing particles to collide and allowing light photons to be released.
The image display process allows you to consolidate flat screen plasma TVs, just like LCDs.
And as LCD screens grew in the early 21st century, so did plasma TVs.
Although they are considered to have a better contrast than LCDs, in comparison, it should be noted that they are not as energy efficient.
LED TV
Just as there are LED bulbs, there are also LED TVs available for purchase by consumers. Although it uses an LCD screen, the light source in the actual TVs of these electronics is an LED.
These light bulbs are some of the most energy efficient and compact available on the market.
This allows the LED TV to be made even thinner than others. When comparing LED TVs with LCDs, the only difference between the two is the backlight. Therefore, the only point of differentiation is the energy used and there is no difference in image quality.
SMART TV
One of the latest developments in television is the creation of smart TV. This TV is essentially the same as its counterparts, however it differs from them in terms of its need to connect to the internet.
By connecting to your home network, your smart TV can access applications such as Netflix and Amazon Prime to stream content.
Standard TVs can be used in this function, however they require an external device, such as a streaming stick or a setup box, to access the internet and provide the same functionality as the smart TV. As a result, using your external device with an energy-efficient TV is a strategy to reduce the cost of enjoying your TV.
Use of electricity according to the type of TV
Comparing the total power consumption required by each TV, the most efficient of the three is the LED, which uses two-thirds of the amount of electricity an LCD TV makes and one-third used by a plasma screen.
Over time, as TV capacities continue to grow, the amount of energy consumed by each TV will decrease.
However, up to that point, calculating the cost of using a TV can be done simply by identifying the power consumption of your TV in watts or kilowatts and then using the monthly usage and rate for a quick calculation.
Practical consumption examples for a TV
For example, imagine that you own a 42-inch plasma TV and leave it on for 20 hours each month. In addition, consider the national average rate per kilowatt-hour. To calculate the cost, you should convert watts to kilowatt-hours and then multiply that by the rate.
To convert watts to kilowatts, divide your power by 1,000:
From there you will multiply the kilowatt by the 20 hours in which the TV was used:
Finally, you multiply the total kilowatt-hours by the average calculation rate you pay each month:
Power consumption depending on the type of TV
SizeLCDPlasma LED30 inches60 watts 150 watts 50 watts 42 inches 120 watts 220 watts 80 watts 50 inches150 watts300 watts100 watts
Now just imagine that the number of hours of use increases, along with the size of the TV and the number of TVs used. Suddenly, it is easy to see that a TV can make a significant contribution to the monthly cost of energy.
Equally important to note is that your TV can cost you even when it is not turned on. As a result, finding ways to reduce overall consumption or opting for the most efficient types of TVs on the market will prove to be valuable.
TV also consumes power in standby mode
This is mainly due to the fact that much of modern technology never stops. When you press the "Start" button on your DVR, computer or TV, it actually switches to standby mode so that it can be restarted faster, either for continuous use or to perform a scheduled task, such as recording a TV show or making a cup of coffee.
The problem is that this device is at rest, sucking electricity from the house while waiting for an order or waiting for a scheduled task to run.
The TV, even in standby, becomes a phantom consumer, and generates what is known as phantom power consumption. Also called phantom charging, or standby, is the energy used by appliances and electronics when they are turned off but still connected to a power outlet.
According to research, an average house contains 40 products that constantly consume energy. Individually, the electricity flowing to an off TV is extremely small, but this device can account for up to 10 percent of household energy consumption.
Conclusion
In general, the largest consumers of phantom energy include any device with a remote control, such as a TV, a DVD player, or a garage door opener.
An external power source that consumes power can also be that noisy black box known as a "wall wart" on the socket of the router, printer, or cable modem.
Another consumer may be a charger for a mobile phone, tablet PC, laptop, GPS, or portable gaming device, or a continuous display, such as an alarm clock, microwave, video camera, or clock coffee machine. digital.
Computers, laptops and cable boxes, especially cable with integrated DVRs, are among the biggest criminals when it comes to phantom consumers, attracting an average of 9 watts and 44 watts in standby mode, respectively. .