Energy Comparison

• Overall, LCDs tend to require similar amounts of electricity compared to a typical CRT. According to a February 2006 article byTV.com, the typical LCD TV uses between 0.16 to 0.41 watts per square inch of the TV screen, while a typical CRT will use between 0.25 to 0.40 watts per square inch. The California Energy Commission conducted similar tests and found that CRTs use about 0.23 watts of electricity per square inch of the screen, compared to 0.27 watts for an LCD. However, LCD TVs tend to run in larger screen sizes than CRTs, primarily due to the fact that LCDs can usually support a higher screen resolution than a typical CRT. The average LCD TV is about 36 inches, and consumes about 144 watts of electricity, according to the California Energy Commission. A typical CRT is 30 inches and consumes 101 watts.
  
  

Technologies

• According to the TV.com article, the type of technology a TV uses has the largest influence on how much electricity it will require per inch of the screen. With an LCD TV, a backlight shines light through an LCD panel to create the image on the screen, and some LCDs can conserve power by dimming the backlight during darker scenes. With a CRT TV, an electron beam is sent through a group of millions of red, green and blur phosphor dots, creating the on-screen image. The technology behind CRT screens is not energy efficient, but because CRT TVs tend to be smaller than LCD, some CRTs use less energy.
  
  

Standby Power

• Another consideration when comparing the energy needs of an LCD TV with an old CRT television is how much power they will require for standby. LCD TVs continue to draw electricity even when they are turned off, primarily to provide functions like status indicators and to allow the TV to quickly respond when the power button is turned on. According to Green Energy Efficient Homes, a 21-inch Panasonic LCD TV uses about 0.7 watts of electricity for standby power, while a traditional 28-inch CRT uses no standby power at all.
  
  

LED Televisions

• One type of LCD televisions uses a light-emitting diode (LED) backlight instead of a fluorescent light and are the most efficient types of LCDs. LED TVs use dimming technologies to either turn down the entire backlight or separate sections, according to an April, 2010 article by CNET. These types of TVs can save about $20 per year in electricity over standard LCD TVs.