Around 2.5 million TVs are discarded each year in the UK, and many of these end up in landfills. See our section on recycling televisions. This trend is probably going to continue for some time, as we change to thinner and lighter sets, demand bigger screens, and want the latest HD technology.

A typical house uses more energy to power it’s TVs than its tumble dryer. This is partly because, although we only on average watch TV for 3.5 hours per day, the TV is left on for an average 6 hours per day. That’s around £60 a year thrown down the drain (admittedly, this is nothing in comparison to the price of some larger TV units).

The “traditional” TV is a CRT (cathode ray tube) model. It is bulky and heavy, with a large projection at the rear encasing the “gun”. New models tend to be either LCD (usually TFT) or plasma (CRT sales have now fallen to practically zero in the UK). Also available are Microdisplay rear projector TVs, which have a lower power consumption per square inch, and cheaper in price than plasma and LCD, but tend to be at the large screen end of the market.

LCD TVs consume about the same amount of power as a CRT TV, for the same size screen. However, as LCDs are lighter and thinner, the screen size has tended to increase. So whereas we all used to consider 26” TV quite acceptable, 32” or 40” is now the standard. The amount of power required is approximately proportional to the screen size – but remember, doubling the TV’s stated size from 20” to 40” is not doubling the screen size, it is quadrupling it.

A true comparison of power consumption can be found in the results of the tests carried out by c|net , who provide figures of watts per square inch:

Microdisplay rear projector 0.14

LCD 0.29

Plasma 0.34

CRT 0.34

In addition to our multiple TVs, many people now have set-top or Freeview boxes. These will become essential for many people once the analogue signal is switched off by 2012 (dates vary depending where you live – find out your date at Digital UK ). And of course this adds to the power load.

Remember that TVs, like other appliances, use power when in standby mode. Always power off your TV at the mains, especially at night or when you go away.

LCD screens have a facility to adjust the backlight, which is where most of the power is consumed – make sure you use it, and adjust the room lighting to give you the best picture.

Gooshing has a wide range of televisions, together with the ethical rating of the manufacturer.

The Energy Saving Trust provide information on products and retailers.

The next technology to hit TVs is likely to be OLED (Light Emitting Diode), which has a significantly reduced energy requirements. It will be a microtechnological version of those flashing bright lights on your bike. The first sets have just been launched, but there are still development problems with the longevity of the LEDs.