Aussies: Most Plasma TVs Hog Too Much Energy

No matter what big-screen TV you decide to bring home one day, it's a good bet it will use a fair amount of energy. But a move by the Australian government makes it clear it may devour too much energy.

Australia is working up a new six-star energy rating system, which, if enacted, would ban most plasma TVs. Some LCD sets wouldn't meet the requirements either, but most would.

As Chris Null notes, it's actually hard to find power-consumption information about TV sets; it's usually buried in the last pages of the user manuals. But as this New York Times post says, U.S. government tests show that plasma TVs are more likely to be energy hogs than LCD sets. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star ratings, 136 LCD TVs 36 inches or wider have earned the ratings approval, compared with only 83 plasma sets. On this EPA web page, you can plug in info about a TV you are considering buying to see if it has the Energy Star seal of approval.

For more info on big-screen energy-consumption questions, check out the posts below to help you make an informed buying decision if you choose to go big. 

Related: Flat-Screen TV's Sucking Down the Power
Part I: Do Flat-Screen TV's Consume More Power
Part II: Which is More Energy Efficient, Plasma or LCD?