Home entertainment and electronics products
TV’s, Set top boxes, digital TV recorders, DVDs and DAB Radios combined are responsible for around one fifth of a typical homes electricity bill. Choosing the most efficient television, set-top box or DAB digital radio helps to keep your bills down, helping you to saving you money and do your bit for the environment. So make sure you look for the Energy Saving Trust Recommended label if you’re shopping for one of these products – its your guarantee that they are the best performing energy saving products you can find.
Just look for the Energy Saving Trust Recommended label and you’ll find the most energy-efficient products on the market.
For details and pictures of all the Energy Saving Trust Recommended models, go to our product database.
DAB digital radios
Digital radios or DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) radios work by converting traditional analogue signals into a digital format prior to transmission. DAB radio was first broadcast by the BBC in 1995 and digital radios have been one of the biggest-selling consumer electronic products over the last 5 years, driven by superior sound quality, a wide range of extra channels and rapidly falling prices.
Standby consumption
Digital radios generally consume more power than their analogue equivalents. One thing to be aware of is that many digital radios simply switch into standby mode when turned "off" and are therefore continually consuming energy unless they are switched off at the socket.
Intertek testing for Which? 2006 showed an average digital radio to have a standby consumption of around 5 watts, which is around five times higher than analogue models - but of course you should always unplug them rather than leaving them on standby. The technology is rapidly improving however, and digital radios carrying the Energy Saving Trust Recommended logo are guaranteed to use less energy than any other digital radio.
Energy Saving Trust Recommended - How the savings can add up
There are currently an estimated 6.8 million DAB radios in use in the UK. Energy Saving Trust Recommended DAB radios use around 75% less electricity annually than older digital radio. If the next 9 million DAB radios bought in the UK were all Energy Saving Trust Recommended we would save aourn £7 million pounds in electricity bills each year.
Look for the logo
Always look for the Energy Saving Trust Recommended logo before you purchase a DAB radio. It's your guarantee that these products are the most energy efficient in their category will cost less to run and help fight climate change.
Look for Energy Saving Trust Recommended DAB digital radios.
Read the full Energy Saving Trust Recommended manufacturers' criteria for DAB digital radios.
Digital television recorders
Recording your favourite shows doesn’t have to cost more in energy bills. In most homes, entertainment equipment accounts for about 20% of your electricity bill. Energy Saving Trust Recommended digital television recorders must meet strict energy performance criteria So make sure you look for the label when you go shopping and you can save both money and energy on your bills, whilst doing your bit for the environment. Don’t forget to switch your home entertainment products off, including standby, when they are not being used.
Look for Energy Saving Trust Recommended digital television recorders.
Digital televisions
Televisions can be the most power hungry of all entertainment appliances particularly the larger ones.With so much choice between size, type and even HD and 3D , deciding on a new television can be more than a little confusing. Here’s our guide to choosing a television that meets your needs but doesn’t waste energy.
Size
The larger a television is the more energy it will consume, regardless of its energy rating . For instance an A rated 22” LCD TV would typically cost £5 a year to run whereas an A rated 56” TV would cost £19. Choosing a smaller TV generally means choosing a more efficient TV.
Whilst it might be tempting to go for a larger screen, larger screens are better at showing up the imperfections of non-high definition TV signals. They can also make it easier to notice the “blockiness” of images from DVD and blu-ray videos. You therefore might even have a better viewing experience by choosing a smaller TV.
HD and 3D TV
Until recently it was only possible to receive HD TV (High Density TV) signal by satellite, but now many homes watch cable HD TV. Most televisions on the market nowadays are HD ready. HD TVs have more pixels per square inch of screen area and therefor tend to consume more energy than SD (Standard Density) televisions.
Buying a smaller SD TV is likely to use less energy than an HD TV, however with the move towards HD broadcasting you might wish to consider how long into the future you are happy to continue using an SD TV.
Screen type
LED, LCD and Plasma screen are most common forms of flat screen TVs on the market. Whilst LED and LCD TVs are not as good for seeing the screen from sideward angles there is little difference between the picture quality of these and Plasma screen TVs. However, Plasma screen TVs tend not to come in smaller sizes, and generally use more energy than similar sized LED or LCD TVs.
Look for the logo
If you are looking to purchase a new TV, to ensure you are getting the most efficient TV that is suitable for you, try looking for a smaller TV and one with the ESTR logo. By choosing an ESTR TV you are choosing one of the most efficient available TVs of its category.
Smarter energy use.
As well as choosing a more efficient TV you can save a significant amount of energy by fully turning your TV fully off when you are not watching it.
If your TV has a ‘Quickstart mode’ akin to standby, it could use as much as 18W when left in this mode. That means by not turning it off fully you could be wasting £10 in electricity bills. There are a number of ESTR products available to help cut down your standby electricity consumption.
Look for Energy Saving Trust Recommended digital televisions.
Read the full Energy Saving Trust Recommended manufacturers' criteria for digital televisions.
Simple set-top boxes
The switch to digital will be complete in 2012 so if you don't want a new digital TV for the switchover, a simple set-top box will turn your TV digital. An Energy Saving Trust Recommended simple set-top box must be efficient in both 'on' and standby mode. The label is your guarantee that you're buying a simple set-top box that uses less energy. As it's a product that is used so frequently in the home, it's well worth your while to look for the label and get the most energy-efficient model.
Look for Energy Saving Trust Recommended simple set-top boxes.
Read the full Energy Saving Trust Recommended manufacturers' criteria for simple set-top boxes.
Timer and energy saving plugs and sockets
On average a UK home spends £35ach year powering electronic goods merely left in standby. You can save on your energy bills by ensuring that you turn this equipment off at the plug after when it is not being used. Fortunately there are a number of Energy Saving Trust Recommended products that help you to avoid standby.
Energy-saving plugs and sockets come in a number of forms; they can come with timers or a single off switch. You can plug televisions and computing equipment into them to reduce standby power and make it easier for you to switch everything off with a single switch. Not only are they practical but they can also help you to save money and do your bit for the environment too.
