I have been trying to figure out what tv to buy for $1500 lcd or plasma. I have been reading on here about both and had settled on a Panasonic Plasma. Until the other day I got a letter in my electric bill from the power compay talking about how much power the plasmas use in a year on an average. Wow!!! I then did some research online about lcd vs plasma energy consumption and was blown away by the difference. I'm all for having a great tv and I'm sure people will argue well this and that uses alot of power why not give up that. I have to start cutting back somewhere and since i am buying a new tv why not start conserving now. I know there are arguments on both sides about which is best, but to pay 30% to 40% more on electricity going with a plasma is nuts. Any thoughts because I don't see to much discussion on that subject when talking about which is the best value.

I have been trying to figure out what tv to buy for $1500 lcd or plasma. I have been reading on here about both and had settled on a Panasonic Plasma. Until the other day I got a letter in my electric bill from the power compay talking about how much power the plasmas use in a year on an average. Wow!!! I then did some research online about lcd vs plasma energy consumption and was blown away by the difference. I'm all for having a great tv and I'm sure people will argue well this and that uses alot of power why not give up that. I have to start cutting back somewhere and since i am buying a new tv why not start conserving now. I know there are arguments on both sides about which is best, but to pay 30% to 40% more on electricity going with a plasma is nuts. Any thoughts because I don't see to much discussion on that subject when talking about which is the best value.

I have owned a Phillips Plasma Display for four years now and have owned a Smasung LCD for two months, I can honestly say that I have yet to notice a difference when comparing energy bills when using one display more than another. I understand that there is a difference in the power usage, however, I have yet to see any substantial decrease in energy usage.

Companies can claim that certain devices will save you more $$ over others, but really, I dont think the savings will be substantial enough to "wow" you when comparing power usage.

I say buy the television you like the most not the one that claims to save you a few bucks on the electric bill.

Not sure why you'd be "blown away" by the difference. A Crutchfield comparo of power ratings for all their TVs showed a definite advantage for LCD over plasma, but that's in % terms. The actual cost of the plasma's increased power consumption is pretty minimal. Here's the monthly cost to power some sets, at 6 hours/day and 10 cents per kwh:

50" plasmas
Panasonic 50PX75U - $6.67
Samsung 5064 - $6.83

52" LCDs
Samsung LN-T5265F - $5.76
Toshiba 52LX177 - $5.80

46" LCDs
Sony KDL-46XBR4 - $2.91
Samsung LN-T4665F - $4.76

Don't know about you, but if I can afford to drop $1,500 on a TV, a few bucks a month extra for the juice isn't a consideration. The only thing that blows me away is that for $1,500 you can get a nice 50" plasma, whereas that'll only get you a 40" LCD.

jeff

Well there has been discussion in the forums, e.g. this thread, just a few below your post:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=975329

But there are plenty of other threads if you search. I think the consensus is that yes plasmas take more energy, but probably not 30-40% more. More like 20% more, depending on the models you're comparing. Which may translate to an extra $40 a year in electricity costs if you're a heavy TV watcher. A lot of the FUD about the ginormous power costs of plasma comes from the LCD manufacturers and, of course, LCD owners.

As you say, you have to start somewhere and if you want to make a statement then buy LCD. Although you'd probably save more energy by switching all the lightbulbs in your house to CFL.

Only 1/3 of my power bill is for the actual cost of the power consumed. The rest is for transmission, distribution and a ton of other taxes and fixed fees. All those related taxes and fees totally swamp the cost of any difference in power consumed. Even if I turned off my power meter for several months, I'd still be chared an arm and a leg. It didn't use to be this way before deregulation.

I make up for it by only watching recorded programs on DVRs, and skipping all the commercials. :)

Only 1/3 of my power bill is for the actual cost of the power consumed. The rest is for transmission, distribution and a ton of other taxes and fixed fees. All those related taxes and fees totally swamp the cost of any difference in power consumed. Even if I turned off my power meter for several months, I'd still be chared an arm and a leg. It didn't use to be this way before deregulation.
Where do you live?

Northern Kentucky

Southern California.

get it calibrated and it will save you some money :)

I make up for it by only watching recorded programs on DVRs, and skipping all the commercials. :)

+1

The other answers on this thread so far are good answers, and true, imo, but this is my vote for the best answer so far!

BTW, my plasma has an energy star rating, but you have to 'turn on' the energy saver mode, you could look into that for casual viewing, vs. critical viewing, if it concerns you that much, but I think as others have said, may not make a huge difference.

I like the DVR answer though, and subscribe to that as much as possible. Also the light bulb answer was good too!

Karz

Unless you are housewife who has the set on for about 18 hours a day....it won't make much of a dent in your overall electric bill. I have 3 plasmas in the house, one in a guest bedroom that rarely gets turned on and the other two combine for about 4-5 hours of viewing a day and less during the summer. If I replaced all 3 with lcd's I'm betting that any difference to my bill would be very small..

edit- you can signifigantly reduce power consumption simply by taking them out of the showroom "torch mode" and then calibration can reduce it even further.

My monthly electricity bill increased from about $22/month before getting a 42" plasma to about $27/month afterwards. About $60 more a year for me.

Unless you are housewife who has the set on for about 18 hours a day....it won't make much of a dent in your overall electric bill. I have 3 plasmas in the house, one in a guest bedroom that rarely gets turned on and the other two combine for about 4-5 hours of viewing a day and less during the summer. If I replaced all 3 with lcd's I'm betting that any difference to my bill would be very small..

edit- you can signifigantly reduce power consumption simply by taking them out of the showroom "torch mode" and then calibration can reduce it even further.

Wow, that is a very outdated view of stay at home mothers.

Wow, that is a very outdated view of stay at home mothers.
I didn't mean to offend anyone.:p it could apply to anyone who is at home most of the day...a lot of people who are home by themselves will have the tv on all the time just for "background" noise if for no other reason..

I have an elderly father who lives by himself and his 2 crts (one in the livingroom, 1 in the bedroom) easily log 18-20 hours daily combined even though he doesn't sit and watch them nearly that much.

I'm just saying that for most people with demanding jobs and a busy life....you won't have time to run your plasma enough to make any signifigant dent in your electric bill.

I'm just saying that for most people with demanding jobs and a busy life....you won't have time to run your plasma enough to make any signifigant dent in your electric bill.

Well if you have a slacker living with you he/she is going sit in front of the TV all day and run up your bill.:)