Many people are rushing out to switch televisions because of the new digital broadcasting about to begin on February 18th. It's expected that this switch will send millions of analog television sets containing toxic components like lead-filled cathode-ray tubes to landfills.
Keep your TV if you can, but when it dies and you really do need a new TV, consider the flat screen choices out there have a vast difference in energy use. Choices include LCD, plasma or rear-projection TV's.
The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) recommends avoiding energy-hog plasma tv's. The average plasma TV uses more energy per year than a refrigerator, which is the biggest energy user in most U.S. households.
Your most efficient option is an LCD TV less than 42 inches. CNET.com rated 128 flat-screen TVs by their energy use in October (find these ratings at http://reviews.cnet.com/tv-power-consumption). Among the very best is the Philips Eco-TV.
Use a responsible recycling program if you need to discard a television. Samsung, LG (Goldstar and Zenith), and Sony have the most robust recycling programs. Consumers can drop their Samsung electronics at 174 locations. Goldstar and Zenith have 160 drop-off sites.
Source: Real Money, Nov/Dec 2008
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