The Latest Eco-Friendly Developments in TV Technology

LED televisions have been around since the late 1970s. However, most consumers likely first saw one in the 1990s when they made their way into households across the country. They were certainly an improvement on previous TV technology for both low energy usage and stellar picture quality.

Mini-LED TVs offer customers a crisper image with less energy wasted. As the size of each LED light shrinks, you get improved picture quality as well as energy savings. This is because a higher number of smaller lights requires less energy than fewer, larger ones.

Building off the design used in mini-LED TVs, QLED television technology adds nanoparticles to the equation. When light shines on nanoparticles, they each emit their own light in a specific color. Altogether, the advanced color blends that are created with QLED technology create a better white light which helps your TV’s color filter work more efficiently.

Traditional LED TVs combine LED and LCD technology together to provide both light and color. While this method was energy efficient for its time, LED televisions have recently been outdone by OLED TVs.

OLED, which stands for organic light-emitting diode, first appeared in 2013. This technology greatly improves the energy efficiency of a television because OLEDs produce both light and color from one source instead of two. Therefore, your TV does not need to power two systems to create brilliant images.

At first, OLED televisions could not achieve the same brightness as LED technology, but they have been perfected over the last few years and now compete neck and neck with LED TVs in terms of brightness. OLEDs also have a superior ability to display dark images and contrast on the screen because they have greater pixel-by-pixel light control. By choosing an OLED television, you can enjoy sharp visuals and save money on your electric bill.

When they were first introduced, many people got excited about 4K TV resolution, also known as ultra-high-definition (UHD). At the time, the Natural Resources Defense Council reported that 4K televisions used 30% more power than HD models on average, which meant a higher energy bill for you and perhaps a greater toll on the environment.See Disclosure ¹

However, 4K technology has come a long way since then and is now quite eco-friendly. Consumers who make sustainable living a priority might wonder whether they should upgrade to an 8K model.

The colors on 8K televisions are realistic with undeniable quality, but your energy bill will definitely reflect the upgrade. Because 8K has four times the number of pixels as 4K, it does require more energy. If you are switching to 8K from an older television that was not energy efficient, you may not notice a huge difference. But if you switch from a newer energy-efficient 4K or HD model of a similar size, you certainly will. In summary, when comparing TVs where is the only variation is pixel quantity, HD will give you the greatest energy savings, followed by 4K, and then 8K.

If saving energy is important to you, you should know that even an inch or two can make a big difference in how eco-friendly your TV is. TV screens are measured diagonally to calculate surface area a 43-inch television has a surface area of about 791 square inches, while a 50-inch television has a surface area of roughly 1068 square inches. Each of those square inches has millions of pixels that need power, which can add up quickly on your monthly energy bill.

Bigger is better for a lot of things, but energy-usage is not one of them. However, smaller televisions can use more energy than larger ones if they are not employing the latest energy-saving technology. Be sure to keep this in mind if you’re aiming to make a green buying choice when picking out your television.