Power savers: Energy-efficient HDTVs

David Katzmaier, Senior Editor May 1, 2009

At CNET we've been testing the power consumption of HDTVs since 2006, and during that time the sets have generally become more and more efficient. That doesn't mean TV manufacturers still can't make improvements, however. The state of California, for example, is considering adopting a new regulation that would put even stricter standards on TV power use starting in 2011--standards that fully half of the plasmas we tested in 2008 fail to meet.

But rather than focus on the energy hogs out there, the list below compiles the most efficient HDTVs we've tested recently. We've rolled out a new award called the CNET Power Saver, and for HDTVs it requires the following criteria:

To qualify as a Power Saver, a TV must be a current model that was measured by CNET's reviews team to have a default picture mode that uses 0.2 watt per square inch or less and overall wattage among the upper third of TVs we've tested (an energy rating of Good), all while achieving a brightness higher than 40FTL.

The six TVs below are the first to make the grade. No plasmas are on the list, because they take too much power to get to our minimum brightness requirement. The criteria also favors medium-size TVs in general (with the exception of rear-projection models), since smaller ones have a hard time getting below the watts-per-square-inch barrier while larger ones use too much power overall. But make no mistake: smaller screens definitely use less power in general.

Four out of the six also use LED technology in some way, which costs a mint for flat-screen models. The Sharp and LG LCDs, on the other hand, manage to qualify without resorting to expensive LED backlights--proof that you can cut down on power use without breaking the bank. That said, the most efficient flat-panels by far are also the most advanced: Samsung's UN46B7000 and UN46B6000 use a mere 0.12 watt per square inch. Don't think these TVs will pay for themselves anytime soon, however; although they use a third of the power of Panasonic's TC-P46G10 plasma, for example, that only saves about $40 per year.

More Resources

Guide to TV power efficiency,

Energy Star 3.0 for TVs,

The chart: Compare power use of 150 HDTVs,

CNET's Green Tech Guide