The Observer published an interesting article over the weekend reporting claims that the UK's increased appetite for flat screen and associated technology could require additional power equivalent to the output from two nuclear power stations. That's based on half of the UK population buying a plasma TV.
Of course, these are extremely movable figures. Apparently some plasma sets can use up to four times the amount of electricity that a standard CRT set does. I thought that sounded rather high, and I don't believe the same is true of LCD sets which often claim a lower power consumption that their equivalently-sized CRT TV.
Nevertheless, it's a concern as we pile up the electronic gear in pursuit of entertainment nirvana. Even so, it's a little unfair to level the blame at one particular type of TV or format. I don't think going high-def is going to push up energy consumption in itself.
One gripe that I have is that some TVs seem to have only two states (when plugged in) - on or standby. Whatever happened to "off"? If a TV has been left in standby state for some time it still has to warm up to display a picture, so why not just allow a proper 'off' without having to physically pull out the power cord.
The way forward will be in manufacturing more energy-efficient entertainment devices, and in remembering to extinguish those pesky standby lights.
From: Sony to double BRAVIA LCD TV production for growing European demand