This study was undertaken to estimate current energy use of residential televisions (TVs) and videocassette recorders (VCRs) in the United States. Ownership and usage statistics were taken from media research, while power statistics were derived from nearly 500 recent power measurements.
When grouped by product characteristics, these power measurements indicate that TV active power draw is closely related to screen size (see Table ES-1) and manufacturer, while TV standby power draw is related only to manufacturer. VCR idle and standby power draw levels are related to manufacturer and year of manufacture: VCR power draw values have been steadily decreasing since 1985. Because of these relationships, average power values were weighted by industry-based estimates of the age, manufacturer, and size distributions of U.S. TVs and VCRs to ensure average power draw estimates that are representative of current U.S. stock.
Table ES-1. Average TV power draw by screen size
| Screen Size | Average Power | ||
| (inches) | Active (watts) | Standby (watts) | |
| <=18 | 47 | 3.1 | |
| 19-20 | 68 | 5.1 | |
| 25-27 | 90 | 4.9 | |
| 30-36 | 114 | 5.3 | |
| 39+ | 142 | 3.5 | |
| Weighted average | 75 | 4.5 | |
To estimate national TV and VCR energy consumption values, ranges of power and mode usage were created to represent usage patterns in homes with more than one unit. Average energy use for homes with one unit, two units, etc. were calculated and summed to provide estimates of total national TV and VCR energy consumption.
Results indicate that TVs and VCRs comprise 3.6% of U.S. residential electricity consumption. In homes with at least one TV, the average annual household TV energy consumption is 310 kWh, 23% of which is consumed while the sets are off. In homes with at least one VCR, the average annual household VCR energy consumption is 100 kWh, over 50% of which is consumed while the units are off. A summary of U.S. TV and VCR energy use is shown in Table ES-2. Calculated values are rounded to two significant digits.
Table ES-2. Summary of residential TV and VCR energy use in the U.S.
| TVs | VCRs | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average active power (watts) | 75 | 17.0 | ||
| Average idle power (watts) | -- | 13.5 | ||
| Average standby power (watts) | 4.5 | 5.9 | ||
| Average household energy use | (kWh/home) | (%)* | (kWh/home) | (%)* |
| 1 unit home | 260 | 32% | 71 | 63% |
| 2 unit home | 310 | 38% | 140 | 28% |
| 3 unit home | 340 | 19% | 210 | 8.2% |
| 4 unit home | 370 | 7.8% | ||
| 5 unit home | 400 | 2.8% | ||
| Weighted Average (kWh/home) | 310 | 100 | ||
| Total U.S. energy (TWh/yr) | 31 | 9.1 | ||
| Percentage of U.S. residential electricity use |
2.8% | 0.82% | ||
This report estimates the energy use of TVs and VCRs in the residential sector only. Total U.S. TV and VCR energy consumption is expected to be roughly 10 to 15% higher, depending on the number of TVs and VCRs in the U.S. commercial and industrial sectors and the usage of those units.