If you’re looking for the perfect TV, PC or monitor to tuck under the tree without sending your energy bill up the chimney in a flash, Seattle City Light is your helpful energy elf.
The utility is partnering with the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) to tag the most energy efficient televisions, computers and monitors with bright orange Energy Forward labels in an effort to aid customers in their purchase decision. The labels are clearly identified on products at various electronics retailers such as Sears, Costco and KMart. To qualify, the equipment has to be at least 30 percent more efficient than the federal government’s Energy Star threshold.
The Energy Forward Label show the best of the best electronics for energy efficiency.
“These are the best of the best for energy efficiency,” said Christine Bunch, retail programs manager for City Light’s Conservation Resources Division.
“That’s an important consideration when buying electronics, especially a big screen TV, that you’ll likely have in your home for many years,” she said. “You only pay for the device once, but you pay for its electricity consumption for years. More energy efficiency means more money stays in your pocket, without having to compromise on performance.”
A complete list of super energy-efficient consumer electronics and the retailers participating in Energy Forward, is available at www.energyefficientelectronics.org. Consumers can also join in the energy-efficiency conversation at twitter.com/energy_forward.and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Energy-Forward/166871029998622 .
Other tips for reducing your energy consumption include:
- Screen size does matter. A 52-inch LCD TV uses about twice as much electricity as a 32-inch model.
- Control and reduce ambient light in the room. The lower the ambient light, the lower you can set the brightness on the TV, which improves picture quality while saving energy. Orient the TV so it isn’t facing a window and arrange lamps so they don’t reflect off the screen into viewers’ eyes.
- Adjust your settings. Almost all televisions shown in retail showrooms are set to a “Vivid” mode that produces a bright and colorful picture. After purchase, change the mode to “Standard,” “Movie,” “Cinema” or equivalent energy saver modes.
- Beware of “Stand By” or “Quick Start” modes that allow you to fire up much more quickly when you want to use it again. What you may not know is these modes consume a lot of power — all while you aren’t using the television. Turn your television completely off by using a power strip; it will only take a few seconds for it to warm up when you turn it on again, and you will save electricity.
Seattle City Light is the 10th largest public electric utility in the United States. It has some of the lowest cost customer rates of any urban utility, providing reliable, renewable and environmentally responsible power to nearly 1 million Seattle area residents. City Light has been greenhouse gas neutral since 2005, the first electric utility in the nation to achieve that distinction.
The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance is a non-profit organization working to maximize energy efficiency to meet our future energy needs. NEEA is supported by and works in partnership with Bonneville Power Administration, Seattle City Light and more than 100 Northwest utilities for the benefit of more than 12 million energy consumers. NEEA uses the market power of the region to accelerate the innovation and adoption of energy-efficient products, services and practices. Since 1997, NEEA and its partners have saved enough energy to power more than 450,000 homes each year. Energy efficiency can satisfy more than half of our new demand for energy, saving money, and keeping the Northwest a healthy and vibrant place to live. For more information, visit neea.org.
