Get energy consumption up on your screen

A large, inefficient screen could be one of the biggest electricity users in your home – using even more power than your fridge.

  • A larger screen uses more energy. Keep in mind they look smaller in-store than when you get them home.
  • Compare energy use. Some TVs use more than three times as much electricity as an efficient model of the same size. This means more emissions and up to $1,000 more in running costs over 10 years.
  • Look for more stars. Use the Energy Rating Label to find one that runs on less energy, generating fewer emissions.

A TV with 6 stars on the Energy Rating Label emits 67% less emissions than a similar TV with only 1 star.

Get more for less

Reduce the amount of energy you use for screens and entertainment:

Get more for less

  • Enable the auto-off. See if your TV has a setting like ‘automatic power down’, ‘eco solution’ or ‘idle TV standby’ – this turns it off if you don’t use the remote for a few hours.
  • Check your brightness. Brighter screens tend to use more energy – don’t go above the recommended setting.
  • Switch it off when you’re not using it. Most home entertainment equipment uses very little energy in standby mode – but if you don’t use it much, turn it off at the wall.
  • A multi-plug makes it easy to switch off. If you have home office or entertainment equipment in the same room, use a multi-plug so it’s easy to switch off everything at night or when not in use.
  • Use sleep mode. Set up screen devices to go to sleep if they’re not used for a few minutes. Turn off screen savers that over-ride sleep mode

Your checklist for smarter shopping

By making clever appliance purchases, you can lower your cost of living while reducing your household emissions (and new appliances look pretty good too) – it's a win-win-win!

Before you walk into the shop, it pays to consider costs beyond the price tag. We’ve crunched the numbers and developed a checklist for you – to help you buy smarter.