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How to Eliminate a TV's Standby-Energy Consumption
By
Future Touch
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Own a Plasma or LCD television? Ever wondered how much power your TV is drawing when it's apparently off? Discover how to bring that wasted power consumption down to zero.
History of TVs
Televisions have come a long way over the last few years. Their picture & sound quality has drastically improved, but their power consumption has also drastically risen. Unfortunately, TVs do not have the opportunity to display a sticker of their energy rating, as other appliances do in electronic stores. An average 125cm plasma TV, for example, can be responsible for 5-15% of the home's electrical power consumption, with an average rating of 350W. A 256cm Plasma can draw up to 1500W, outperforming most of your household appliances! Whilst LCD TVs draw less than plasmas, their energy ratings are also considered high, with a 76cm drawing around 200W.
Today's Problem
But don't think that switching the TV into standby is halting all that power consumption. One of the biggest concerns with plasma and LCD TVs today is that their standby power consumption is a significant percentage of their operating consumption. Although a TV in standby appears as if its OFF, in actual fact its still drawing around 9W per day. With modern governments placing strong restrictions on energy efficiency, there's a push for manufacturers to lower this value to 1W per day. One way to reduce this to zero is to simply switch the TV off at the wall, but that defeats the purpose of the remote, now doesn't it?
The Solution
So what's the solution? Automate the power! By simply fitting a D.I.Y Automation Receiver into a power point and controlling it with a suitable remote, you can remotely automate the power to the TV. And in case you're worried about having to resort to reaching for yet another remote to kill the power each time you turn off your TV, there's good news. Many universal remotes these days offer support for X10 automation.
So How do I Set it Up?
The first thing you need is a suitable Interface Module to turn your TV on & off. This device will receive commands via RF signals from a compatible remote, and switch its outlet power on & off, appropriately. The other item you'll need is a compatible remote. These range anywhere from $10 to $400 and a good place to view a large range is in the Universal Remotes section of Future Touch. To achieve this project easily, we suggest you take a look at the TV Energy Saver kit, which provides an Interface Module, a touch screen universal remote, and a Lamp Module (allowing you to also control a lamp by remote).
Now when you turn your TV off, first press the power button on the remote, and then send an X10 code to turn off the TM13. Your TVs power consumption will then be zero! When turning the TV on, first turn on the TM13, and then your TV. You can also simplify this procedure by configuring macros, to send all the commands in a sequence (eg: press one button to turn the TV off, then the power off, and anything else if desired).
Note - it is solely the user's responsibility to confirm that the power ratings of their TV is suitable with the chosen X10 device, as well as checking that their TV is capable of being switched on/off from the wall without causing damage. Please consult your TV's manual for verification. Future Touch is not responsible for any damage or harm that may result.
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