That big new HDTV in your living room may be costing you more than just your monthly payments. Many of the new big-screen TVs consume plenty of power.

It’s a problem that’s beginning to get some attention. California regulators are drafting rules that would require retailers to sell only energy-efficient flat-screen TVs. According to the Los Angeles Times, during a peak viewing time when most sets are on, such as the Super Bowl, TVs in California collectively suck up the equivalent of 40 percent of the power generated by the San Onofre nuclear power station running at full capacity. Televisions account for about 10% of the average Californian’s monthly household electricity bill.

Just how much does it cost to operate a flat-screen TV? That depends on the type of TV. The electronics Web site CNET tested 139 TVs, rating them by watts used per square inch as well as overall costs. Applying Chelan County PUD power rates to CNET’s calculations, energy costs would range from a low of $7.86 per year to run a Philips 42-inch LCD model to $52.53 per year to power a 58-inch plasma-screen Panasonic. (CNET used the annual average cost of 10 cents per kilowatt hour for its calculations; Chelan County PUD’s cost is 2.9 cents per kilowatt hour).

Depending on the technology behind the TV, energy costs can vary dramatically. Standard sets use a cathode ray tube, with those smaller than 40 inches drawing roughly 73 watts when on. An average flat-screen LCD TV of the same size also uses 70 watts, while a similar plasma TV consumes an average 246 watts.

If you’re still shopping for a new set, or just curious about your power use, you can calculate your costs using this formula:

Wattage X Hours Used / 1,000 = Kilowatt Hours (KWH)

Then multiply the kilowatt hours used times the cost of power (the average cost for Chelan PUD customers is 2.9 cents per kilowatt hour).

Blue Energy Star labels began appearing in November on all TVs that use less energy when turned on. Before November, Energy Star labels only indicated how efficient a set was when it was turned off.

You can stop your TV from drawing any power at all by unplugging it, or by plugging it into a power strip that can be switched off.

Related links
How Much Do Your Appliances Cost to Operate? (Chelan PUD brochure)

David McIntye holds one of his new 12-watt recessed LED (light-emitting diode) units

David McIntyre of Leavenworth sees a light at the end of the tunnel – and it’s illuminated with LEDs.

McIntyre purchased several 12-watt recessed LED (light-emitting diode) units for trial in the ceiling of the home he’s remodeling. The LEDs cost a whopping $90 each, which includes trim parts for the ceiling cans, but McIntyre believes the quality of light, durability of the units and miserly energy use will justify the investment. He calculates that over 10 years, using 65-watt incandescent floods would be more expensive than the total cost of the LEDs.

According to manufacturer Cree LED Lighting Solutions, the LED units use 85 percent less energy than a comparable incandescent bulb and will last 20 years.

Due to the cost, LED lighting is not yet popular in homes but is commonly seen in flashlights, stop lights and holiday lighting; the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, for example, is decorated with 30,000 energy-efficient LED lights.

Marcelo da Luz

A meeting with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is the next goal of the driver who set a world record for distance traveled in a solar car.

Marcelo da Luz, a former flight attendant and native of Brazil, brought his saucer-shaped solar car to Wenatchee on Dec. 4, making appearances at Wenatchee High School, Wenatchee Valley College, the Performing Arts Center (photo at left) and Newbery Elementary. Students at the elementary school were fascinated with the futuristic vehicle and shouted in unison as da Luz led them in a countdown, then drove the car around the parking lot and out of sight – then returned to applause and squeals of delight.

Da Luz set the record by traveling more than 10,000 miles across Canada and the U.S. Sponsors helped him build the $1 million car and finance the trip, which started in June and ended in October. He is looking for additional sponsors to continue his journey.

He wants to meet Schwarzenegger to draw attention to renewable energy development, which the governor has supported, and to what can be achieved by “the power of one.” Da Luz’s Web site is called the Power of One, shortened to xof1.

Related links
Fill ‘er up with sunshine (Wenatchee World)

Marcelo Da Luz set the record for travel in a solar car by driving more than 10,000 miles across Canada and the U.S

The Chelan-Douglas Community Action Council has money — lots of it — to help low-income families pay energy bills this winter.

Tanya Render, energy and rental assistance coordinator for Community Action, said the agency received $720,000 for the 2008-09 winter heating season. That compares to $385,000 earmarked for the federal Energy Assistance Program last winter.

“We served almost 1,500 households this past year,” Render said. “With this increase we could potentially double that.”

The funds are used to help pay heating costs or to help with repairs or replacement of heating systems.

Eligibility is based on federal poverty guidelines for household size and income. To apply, customers should call (509) 662-6156 and ask for Energy Assistance.

You can tell winter has arrived when customers start calling about thermostats. They want to know whether they’ll really save energy by turning their thermostats down at night. Some have the erroneous belief that because an electric furnace runs longer in the morning to bring a home back to a comfortable temperature, it costs more to recover from a nighttime setback than it saves.

Here’s the skinny: You almost always save by turning down your thermostat, regardless of how long you sleep or are away from home. A typical furnace runs 20 minutes per hour to heat your home. If you set the thermostat to 60 degrees before you go to bed and leave it there for eight hours, the furnace will not need to run 20 minutes each hour. The furnace may have to run some during the night, depending on how cold it is outside, but it certainly won’t be 20 minutes per hour.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, you can save energy in the winter by setting the thermostat to 68°F while you’re awake and setting it lower while you’re asleep or away from home. By turning your thermostat back 10°-15° for eight hours, you can save about 5 percent to 15 percent a year on your heating bill—a savings of as much as 1 percent for each degree if the setback period is eight hours long.

This doesn’t apply if you have a heat pump. In its cooling mode, a heat pump operates like an air conditioner, so turning up the thermostat (either manually or with a programmable thermostat) will save energy and money. But when a heat pump is in its heating mode, setting back its thermostat can cause the unit to operate inefficiently, thereby canceling out any savings achieved by lowering the temperature setting. Maintaining a moderate setting is the most cost-effective practice.

Bottom line: If you have a heat pump, turn the heat down just a couple degrees when you go to bed at night. If you don’t have a heat pump, turn the heat down to about 60°.

Related links/sources:

Clark Public Utilities

U.S. Department of Energy