Just like every other nation, Britain loves TV! Today the box in the corner is a focal point, the bigger the better in some homes. The TV provides us with a lots of entertainment, very few are now just used for terrestrial channel watching. Most now have digital, Freeview or Sky for example. Films on DVD are easy to watch and you never have to miss your favorite soap with sky+. When your not watching TV on your TV you can play games or even surf the web on it!

With all of this, it can’t come as any surprise then that the TV is one of the biggest energy burners in the living room. You sat in front of it certainly isn’t a contender! 

On average a traditional cathode ray tube (CRT) television set uses 100 watts of power when in use and about two watts on standby. Newer LCD and plasma screens are higher users of energy, with the largest models consuming up to 400 watts when in use and about four watts on standby.

TVs can also present a potential fire hazard. Many house fires are due to electrical faults from TVs being left on stand by. Obviously, TVs are electrical safety checked by the manufacturer but is it really worth the risk?

People simple pressing the off button on the remote, rather than the power off button on the TV is a real issue when it comes to saving energy and climate change. So much so that there is a chance the government is to outlaw standby switches on televisions and video and DVD players to cut the amount of electricity wasted in the home. 

Manufactures are making measures to address the problem. Some clever TVs do power off at the remote and there are some products on the market (one featured on Dragons Den) that can cut off the power at the plug.  

Consumers can now safely switch off most DVD players/recorders, hard disk recorders or video recorders purchased in recent years, according to the Energy Saving Trust. They should not need to retune the devices when they are switched back on or have to contend with the dreaded flashing clock as the machines usually retain their settings.

However, manufacturers recommend that some satellite TV receivers be left in standby when not in use so they can receive updates.

When you go to bed at night count how many little flashing lights or red dots you can see. Its surprising how many household appliances stay awake whilst you are asleep!

Guest blog post by George Thomas, from Tag Medical – Medical Equipment Testing