Standby for digital TV

With the digital TV switchover already having started in some areas of the country, Jane Turner tunes in to integrated digital TVs (IDTV) which can receive digital signals without the need for a set-top box.

Partly because of the digital switchover, sales of flatscreen TVs have boomed recently. But so has the size of screens.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) recently said: “In the past five years we have seen the main television in a household change from typically being a 24in to 32in CRT television to being a much larger flatscreen television, with screen sizes of between 32 and 42 inches becoming more and more common. Not surprisingly, this has seen the energy used by the main television in the house increase.”

We have only rated LCD digital TVs for this report because, as you can see from the table above, they consume much less energy than plasma screens. Plasma TVs have been dubbed the ‘4x4s of the living room’ because of their energy wastage.(1)

Do you need a new digital TV?

The analogue TV signal is being switched off between 2008 and 2012, so you must have access to some sort of digital signal by then or you won’t be able to watch TV at all. You won’t need a digital TV if you have a Freeview set-top box or subscribe to satellite or cable.

According to the Energy Saving Trust, “An IDTV can save around £7 a year and 20 kilograms of CO2 each year compared to a similar TV and set-top box (that’s assuming replacing an average TV or set-top box purchased new in 1998 with an Energy Saving Recommended model of similar size). Unlike many set-top boxes, IDTVs can be switched off without losing their settings and so don’t have to be left on standby.”

Our power consumption table confirms the Energy Saving Trust’s position that, on average, LCD TVs use less power than CRTs. But there’s not much in it, so we think it will probably be worth sticking with your tradtional CRT and getting an energy saving set-top box.

This is partly because when we last looked at set-top boxes with our readers, we found that many set-top boxes could be switched off at the plug without losing their settings.

But it’s also because the Energy Saving Trust’s calculations only look at energy consumption in use. They do not include the CO2 and other toxic emissions created during manufacture. Embodied energy data, however, is hard to come by for TVs.

If you are going to get a set-top box, TVonics make set-top box models with the lowest energy consumption in use and in standby of the 34 set-top boxes compared by the independent energy consumption website sust-it.(4) TVonics are also recommended by the Energy Saving Trust. An Energy Saving Recommended standard set-top box consumes 50% less electricity than a typical set-top box. They must consume 2W in standby and 6.3-8.3W when switched on.

TVonics was also an Ethical Consumer Best Buy when we looked at set-top boxes. The MDR-250 has very low energy use in on-mode and standby and was a Which? Best Buy. It costs £48.92 on the company’s website.

In terms of picture quality, if you already own a conventional cathode ray tube (CRT) set, chances are the standard definition picture on your old set will be hard to beat. But if you want to watch high definition (HD) TV, which has more dots or ‘pixels’ so more detail, you’ll definitely need to buy a new set.

For more on the switchover, see www.digitaluk.co.uk/when_do_i_switch

EU Eco-label

The EU Eco-label is a voluntary scheme whereby manufacturers can use the Flower symbol on their products if they meet certain environmental criteria. The criteria are much wider than the proposed EU energy label because they cover the impact of the product over its entire lifecycle, from manufacture to disposal, not just its energy consumption.

For televisions, the criteria set:
· maximum energy consumption in use according to screen size
· passive stand-by consumption less than or equal to 1W
· instructions telling users how to minimise energy consumption
· restriction on the use of flame retardants in plastic parts
· easy dissembly and recycling
· take back for recycling free of charge
· guarantee for at least 2 years

However, we are concerned about the toughness of the criteria. The Eco-label has had a history of having been watered down by industry. Several of the criteria appear to be measures that are already required by EU law – such as the restriction of flame retardants (RoHS directive) and the requirement to take back products for recycling (WEEE directive).

Three companies in this report – Sharp, Samsung and Sony – produce models which meet the criteria. The numbers in brackets indicate screen sizes (in inches) available for each model.

Sharp Aquos models:
SH1E (13, 15, 20)
A1E / D1E (19)
AD5E / AD5S (20, 26, 32)
S4E / S5E / SD4E / SD5E / SD5S (20)
SA1E (26, 32, 37, 42)
D44 (32, 37)
GA6E / P50E / P55E / SV1E (26, 32, 37)
GA8E / GA9E / RA1E / D65E / BV8 / BV9 (32, 37)
D653E / D654E (32)
D65 (46, 52)
DH77S / DH77E / DH77V (32, 42, 46)
XL8E (37)
XL2E (46)
X20 (52)

Samsung models:
A45 / A46 Series (32, 37, 40)
A55 / 56 / 57 / 65 / 67 Series (32, 37, 40, 46, 52)
A75 / 76 Series (32, 40, 46, 52)
A78 / 79 Series (40,46)
A85 / 86 Series (40, 46, 52)
A95 / 96 Series (46, 55)

Sony Bravia models:
WE5 (40, 46)
W55 (32, 37, 40, 46)
E55 (32, 40)
V55 (32, 37, 40, 46, 52)
S55 (37, 40)

More information on the EU Eco-label from www.eco-label.com/default.htm

Energy Saving Recommended

The Energy Saving Recommended (ESR) labelling scheme is run by the Energy Saving Trust (EST) in the UK for a host of household electronics products that meet specific criteria.

The ESR accreditation aims to endorse the top 20% of the market identified in terms of energy efficiency. IDTVs displaying the distinctive blue logo achieve less than or equal to 1W power consumption in standby mode and less than or equal to 250W in the on-mode. But as you can see from our energy consumption table, that doesn’t seem very demanding and, at present, means that all sizes of LCD screen could qualify for the logo.

The Eco-label and the forthcoming EU Energy Label for TVs (see below), have set criteria for maximum power consumption in on-mode which is dependent on the size of the screen.

The Compare and Buy Products section of the Energy Saving Trust website includes 573 models of integrated digital TVs that bear the Energy Saving Trust recommended logo. The site includes the following number of models from companies in this report (listed by number of models):

Sony 168
Toshiba 85
LG 72
Panasonic 56
Sharp 40
Philips 40
JVC 38
Samsung 22
Hitachi 11
Wharfedale 10
Bush 6

Of the brands in our report, only Goodmans and Grundig did not have any models listed as Energy Saving Recommended.

For further information on the EST visit: www.energysavingtrust.org.uk

EU energy regulation

Minimum energy performance standards for televisions are expected to be agreed across Europe this spring and this should lead to phasing out the most inefficient TVs, which is likely to include many plasma models. The standards will be part of the EuP (Energy using Product) directive which has two main requirements: energy efficiency and the building of an in-company eco-design system.

The EU has already agreed minimum standards for the electricity consumed in standby mode. Defra says this should cause a fourfold drop by early 2010 in the energy used by a TV when it has been switched off by remote control instead of the main switch.(1)

At the same time, a compulsory labelling system will be drawn up to identify the best and worst devices which, says Defra, “will make it easier for consumers to identify the most and least energy-efficient televisions available”. The labelling scheme is modelled on the existing A-G energy label for fridges and other white goods which has greatly increased their efficiency over the past decade.(1)

New energy efficiency classes have been set out for all televisions placed on the market until 31 December 2012. After that the A-G scale will tighten up three times: first in early 2013, then in 2015 and 2017.(3)

Restrictions have also been set for on-mode power consumption. Along with the A-G rating, manufacturers will also be obliged to display an estimated annual energy use figure on labels, along with a 1-10 energy efficiency ranking and the on mode power consumption.(3)

Toxic ingredients

The RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) directive which came into effect in July 2006, restricts the use of six hazardous substances � mercury, lead, hexavalent chromium, cadmium and a range of flame retardants, notably polybrominated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers � in electrical and electronic equipment placed on the EU market.

Some companies have gone further and eliminated all brominated flame retardants from their plastics. Sony did so for its TVs in 2005 but still uses them in other products. Toshiba is aiming for elimination in 2009, and Sharp, Samsung and LG want to end its use by 2010.

All Samsung LCD panels have been PVC free since November 2007. LG and Sharp will stop using PVC by 2010.

Mercury is used in many LCD models because the screen is backlit by fluorescent lights which contain mercury. The RoHS directive allows the use of mercury for this purpose. But screens backlit by LEDs are being developed which not only make the models mercury-free but also improve energy efficiency.

Reuse, Recycle

What to do with your old TV? According to Defra, there are now, on average, about 2.4 TVs in every home. It said that over 71 million CRT TVs will be disposed of between 2004 and 2010 mainly due to the move to digital television. Not to mention all the set-top boxes that may be made redundant.

If your item is still working, look in your yellow pages for a charity which may take it and reuse it. There are lots of reuse networks on the web such as Freecycle. There is a list on the www.recycle-more.co.uk website.

Or sell it using a classified advert in your local paper or a card in the window of your local newsagent or post office or on ebay.

If the equipment is broken, don’t throw it out with normal household waste. It could end up in landfill sites where it can be harmful both to the environment and humans. Especially because the bulk of waste TVs are likely to be CRT models which have the toxic heavy metals lead and cadmium in their glass tubes.

Through the WEEE Directive, when you buy a new TV the manufacturer pays for your old one to be recycled at specialist recycling companies. So take it to your civic amenity sites which will take waste electrical items. Type your postcode into the ‘bank locator’ on www.recycle-more.co.uk to see where your nearest facility is that recycles TVs.

Alternatively, you can take it back to the electrical retailer you bought it from. Since July 2007, when you buy a new electrical product you should ask the shop how they are going to take back your old one. They have to do this for free when you make a like-for-like purchase, no matter where you bought the original product. Shops can take back goods in store or tell you where your nearest local drop-off point is (for example, your council’s waste or recycling site). If you have bought a new item the shop should allow you a reasonable period after you have bought it to return the old equipment it is replacing. You can also ask the shop if they provide a collection service and what it costs.

Eco models?

If you are buying a new LCD TV, here are some energy saving features to look out for.
· Smaller TVs use less power simply because of the screen size.
· In some models, ambient light sensors adjust the backlight of the TV according to how dark or light the room is. Watch the TV with the lights off and they can significantly reduce power consumption.
· A screen-blanking option saves energy when the TV is tuned to a digital radio channel.
· TVs which are backlit with LEDs (rather than CFL) are more energy efficient and don’t contain mercury.

The Which? website lists five TV models as being energy efficient and Which? Best Buys. These five models are also Energy Saving Recommended. The three with screens below 40” are:
1) Sony KDL-23B4050 - a 23” model (£336*)
The choice of small-screen LCDs is limited, but Sony has this 23” model and two 20” ones (KDL-20B4050 and KDL-20S3000) listed as Which? Best Buys for small screen (15”-23”) LCDs.
2) LG 32LG5000 - a 32” model (£368.40*)
3) Sony KDL-32W4000 - a 32” model (£649*)
* all prices from the Energy Saving Trust website.

Sony’s Bravia Eco VE5 model has the ability to recognise when all viewers have left the room, and switch to standby. And it has a ‘zero-watt standby switch’ which can cut the power to the TV completely. Even when switched off most other TVs still draw power.

Of course, the ultimate energy saving way to use your TV is to use it less, if at all, and always turn it off at the wall when not in use.

Greenpeace's Guide to Greener Electronics

Greenpeace’s 10th Guide to Greener Electronics was released in December 2008. It rated 18 companies on chemicals, e-waste and energy criteria. Greenpeace wants electronics companies to:
1. clean up their products by eliminating hazardous substances; and
2. take-back and recycle their products responsibly once they become obsolete.
Below are the ratings for the electronic companies in the guide that we have covered in this report on TVs.

More detailed company profiles and rankings for all 18 electronics companies from here.

Philips campaign success

In February 2009, Greenpeace broke the story about what actually happens to some of our electronic waste; instead of being safely recycled in the UK or Europe, much of it is instead being exported as ‘second-hand goods’ to places like Nigeria, China and India. Once there it’s either sold for scrap, illegally dumped, or broken apart for recycling by some of the poorest people in the country, with no safety measures to protect them from the dangerous toxic chemicals like mercury, cadmium and lead which the e-waste contains.

Greenpeace asked supporters to help them do something about this by targeting electronics giant Philips who, since 2007, has been taking a lead in actively opposing laws that would force electronics producers to accept financial responsibility for recycling their own products. Instead it’s been insisting that its customers should bear the cost.

But a week later, following some protracted negotiations (aided by several actions and a whopping 47,000 emails from Greenpeace supporters around the world which flooded the inbox of CEO Gerard Kleisterlee), the company announced a dramatic u-turn in its e-waste recycling policy. Effectively, Philips has now agreed to take responsibility for the cost of recycling its own products, a move which is likely to substantially improve its ranking in Greenpeace’s next Guide to Greener Electronics.

To stop this sort of illegal dumping, Greenpeace is campaigning to get companies to introduce voluntary take-back schemes and remove hazardous substances from their products so they can be recycled safely and easily.

TVs of the future

Light Emitting Diode (LED) television is the technology of the future in terms of energy consumption. Just as LED light bulbs are now becoming available instead of the traditional energy saving compact fluorescents, so LED TVs are set to replace LCD TVs.

According to Which? researcher, Ben Stevens: “Their make up means that they don’t have a backlight, making them more energy efficient than LCD and plasma models. For this same reason they are also considerably lighter, and this brings down the transporting costs for the manufacturer and the overall carbon footprint.”

LED TVs feature an organic electroluminescent display meaning that the product can be made ultra-thin – about the same thickness as three credit cards – and the picture quality is better than LCD or plasma screens.

Sony has produced the world’s first LED TV but it’s only 11 inches in size. There are problems in manufacturing larger screens with the same technology. You can get a XEL-1 for just £3,489!

References

1 The Independent on Sunday, 11 January 2009 2 Which? Website viewed March 2009 3 ENDS Report, October 2008 4 sust-it website (www.sust-it.net) viewed March 2009 5 Green Electronics Survey, December 2008, Greenpeace International 6 Which? April 2009 � Televisions 7 EuP Preparatory Study Televisions, August 2007

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