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Friday, January 6, 2012

Does Turning Off TV During Commercials Save Electricity?

“By turning off TV at each advertisement would I save electricity, prolong the life of the TV, or would this do harm?”  The Newton Falls Public Library staff is always interested in money saving ideas.

Energy usage certainly depends on the television owned. A chart of energy efficiency at CNET
shows HDTV power consumption costing yearly anywhere from $10.59 for the calibrated settings on a 32” Sharp LCD to $108.07 for a 58” Panasonic plasma television. But this did not tell us if the cost would go up or down by turning it off frequently.

Unable to find the exact information for our patron online, we decided to contact a television repair business. Our staff phoned Portage Electronics in Ravenna. They informed us that each time the power button is pushed it creates a 5 volt spike of electricity, which in time will burn out the microprocessor. They recommended that turning it on and off would cause more damage to the television than would save her money in electricity.

We did find that conversely avoiding the viewing of commercials can save you money. “According to Boston College sociologist Juliet Schor, ‘Television viewing results in an upscaling of desire. And that in turn leads people to buy.’ Her study found that every additional hour of TV viewing per week boosts spending by roughly $200 a year.” 

It seems that leaving your television on during commercials will protect it, saving you money in repairs. Leaving the room or muting the commercials when they come on will keep you from being tempted to spend money.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Consider using energy efficient light globes, such as LEDs as an alternative to general lighting and avoid halogen down lights. Switch off appliances not in use at the wall. The cost of appliances which are switched on and not being used (on standby) can add over $100 on your annual power bill. By washing your clothes in cold water and drying on a line or rack, you can save up to $100* a year. Compare your electricity suppliers to check you are getting the best deal on your rates at www.yourchoice.vic.gov.au. Have a free standby power controller installed to save money and electricity. Standby power controllers automatically cut off power to your electronic devices when you switch them to stand-by mode by pressing the on/off button on your remote control.
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