Is it time to upgrade your tech gadgets? It depends how much you like to save money over the long term.
Today's newest TV and computer models, indeed a vast array of high-tech electronic accessories, are more eco-friendly than ever. dell 6y270 battery
They use less energy, which means savings on your power bill. Not only do many feature smart power management features, electronic devices simply run on less power.
Take your home TV, for example. In many homes, it's on a good part of the day and remains the cheapest entertainment you can get. (dell inspiron 1525 battery)
"Watching a 90-minute movie on newer flat panel TV and a home theatre audio system could cost less than a nickel," said Barry Murray, director of marketing, AV Group, Panasonic Canada.
"Certainly, far less than the $5.99 you spent renting."
Televisions new and old consume the most energy in most entertainment systems; only high-end-audio sound systems consume more. TOSHIBA pa3399u-1bas battery
The bigger the screen, the more power a TV uses. How much it uses varies widely: a flat panel HDTV can draw from 70 watts to more than 500 watts of power.
Yet, Samsung's boast, for instance, that its TVs are becoming 40 per cent more efficient every year, is true.
LED-based LCD TVs consume the least amount of power. Typically, current under-50-inch screen models draw less than 100 watts, while plain LCD models will draw about 125 watts, all while in standard view screen mode.
Some new TV models feature unique power-saving features. (dell inspiron 1545 battery)Sony's EX700 series LED edge-lit models feature a presence sensor which first turns off the screen when it senses no body movement in the room, then later turns the sound off if no one returns to the room.
Plasma TVs, which draw more power than LCD TVs, also have become less power-hungry.
A five-year-old Panasonic 42-inch plasma averages 290 watts in standard screen mode, while today's Panasonic 50-inch VT25 draws 130 watts.
TVs in homes should be set to the "natural" screen setting, which displays them at their best and provides good power savings. (dell xps m1330 battery)The "vivid" or store mode consumes 50 per cent more energy.
"Cinema" mode can cut the energy draw in half, says Robert Gumiela of Samsung Canada, but at the cost of a less impressive image.
When shopping for a new TV, look for the highest Energy Star 5.1 rating on this year's 50-inch and under models; 55-inch and above models are top energy conservers when they carry the Energy Star 4.1 rating.
Computers can draw as much power as TVs. (dell inspiron 1545 ac adapter)Unless they are in sleep mode, drawing only several watts, they can draw more energy than a 100-watt light bulb.
This year's latest desktop and laptop computers for Windows or Mac use less power than before, thanks to new processors that consume a fraction of the energy of last years' models and run faster.
More laptops than ever come with solid state drives, which draw half the power of conventional spinning hard drives.(dell vostro 1400 battery) RAM memory in newer computers also draws less power, as do integrated graphics on processor chips.
New Apple computers, such as the recently announced PowerBook Pro, use the newest and least power-hungry components.
Today's newest TV and computer models, indeed a vast array of high-tech electronic accessories, are more eco-friendly than ever. dell 6y270 battery
They use less energy, which means savings on your power bill. Not only do many feature smart power management features, electronic devices simply run on less power.
Take your home TV, for example. In many homes, it's on a good part of the day and remains the cheapest entertainment you can get. (dell inspiron 1525 battery)
"Watching a 90-minute movie on newer flat panel TV and a home theatre audio system could cost less than a nickel," said Barry Murray, director of marketing, AV Group, Panasonic Canada.
"Certainly, far less than the $5.99 you spent renting."
Televisions new and old consume the most energy in most entertainment systems; only high-end-audio sound systems consume more. TOSHIBA pa3399u-1bas battery
The bigger the screen, the more power a TV uses. How much it uses varies widely: a flat panel HDTV can draw from 70 watts to more than 500 watts of power.
Yet, Samsung's boast, for instance, that its TVs are becoming 40 per cent more efficient every year, is true.
LED-based LCD TVs consume the least amount of power. Typically, current under-50-inch screen models draw less than 100 watts, while plain LCD models will draw about 125 watts, all while in standard view screen mode.
Some new TV models feature unique power-saving features. (dell inspiron 1545 battery)Sony's EX700 series LED edge-lit models feature a presence sensor which first turns off the screen when it senses no body movement in the room, then later turns the sound off if no one returns to the room.
Plasma TVs, which draw more power than LCD TVs, also have become less power-hungry.
A five-year-old Panasonic 42-inch plasma averages 290 watts in standard screen mode, while today's Panasonic 50-inch VT25 draws 130 watts.
TVs in homes should be set to the "natural" screen setting, which displays them at their best and provides good power savings. (dell xps m1330 battery)The "vivid" or store mode consumes 50 per cent more energy.
"Cinema" mode can cut the energy draw in half, says Robert Gumiela of Samsung Canada, but at the cost of a less impressive image.
When shopping for a new TV, look for the highest Energy Star 5.1 rating on this year's 50-inch and under models; 55-inch and above models are top energy conservers when they carry the Energy Star 4.1 rating.
Computers can draw as much power as TVs. (dell inspiron 1545 ac adapter)Unless they are in sleep mode, drawing only several watts, they can draw more energy than a 100-watt light bulb.
This year's latest desktop and laptop computers for Windows or Mac use less power than before, thanks to new processors that consume a fraction of the energy of last years' models and run faster.
More laptops than ever come with solid state drives, which draw half the power of conventional spinning hard drives.(dell vostro 1400 battery) RAM memory in newer computers also draws less power, as do integrated graphics on processor chips.
New Apple computers, such as the recently announced PowerBook Pro, use the newest and least power-hungry components.
But Windows 7 computers vary in what components they feature depending on price; cheaper models often opt for several-years-old affordable technology. (toshiba pa3383u-1brs battery )
When shopping for a Windows 7 computer, look for the Second Generation Intel Core Processor logo.
If shopping for AMD-run computers look for the newer "Vision" chips with "Fusion" technology, which greatly improve laptop battery time.
Also look for DDR2 RAM (versus DDR) and solid state drives.
Intel's newest speedy SATA 6 510 solid state drives run on one-quarter the power of competitors.
Chargers for cellphones, smart-phones, MP3 players, even shavers are getting better. acer aspire one d250-1924 battery BlackBerry chargers, for example, can be left in the outlet with the device disconnected and draw no power.
Older men's shavers draw eight watts while charging, compared to today's Panasonic models that consume less than three watts.
It's best to simply pull the plug on electronics you don't use. (hp pavilion dv5-1015nr battery)
They will cost less to run and last longer, as heat is a gizmo's worst enemy. One cool eco-friendly accessory is the Belkin Conserve Socket ($14.99), with three selectable "on" times of 30 minutes, three and six hours.
Belkin's Conserve Switch AV ($60), has a wireless remote control for turning off six of its eight outlets and now includes coaxial cable protection.(dell studio 1735 battery) For example, you can keep your PC sleeping while your router, speakers and printer can be turned off remotely.
The new Belkin Conserve Insight ($39), measures power consumption, electrical cost and carbon footprint on any devices plugged into it.(dell inspiron 1521 battery)
next blog: High-tech gadgets help consumers moderate energy use
When shopping for a Windows 7 computer, look for the Second Generation Intel Core Processor logo.
If shopping for AMD-run computers look for the newer "Vision" chips with "Fusion" technology, which greatly improve laptop battery time.
Also look for DDR2 RAM (versus DDR) and solid state drives.
Intel's newest speedy SATA 6 510 solid state drives run on one-quarter the power of competitors.
Chargers for cellphones, smart-phones, MP3 players, even shavers are getting better. acer aspire one d250-1924 battery BlackBerry chargers, for example, can be left in the outlet with the device disconnected and draw no power.
Older men's shavers draw eight watts while charging, compared to today's Panasonic models that consume less than three watts.
It's best to simply pull the plug on electronics you don't use. (hp pavilion dv5-1015nr battery)
They will cost less to run and last longer, as heat is a gizmo's worst enemy. One cool eco-friendly accessory is the Belkin Conserve Socket ($14.99), with three selectable "on" times of 30 minutes, three and six hours.
Belkin's Conserve Switch AV ($60), has a wireless remote control for turning off six of its eight outlets and now includes coaxial cable protection.(dell studio 1735 battery) For example, you can keep your PC sleeping while your router, speakers and printer can be turned off remotely.
The new Belkin Conserve Insight ($39), measures power consumption, electrical cost and carbon footprint on any devices plugged into it.(dell inspiron 1521 battery)
next blog: High-tech gadgets help consumers moderate energy use
No comments:
Post a Comment