Future: DC yes, AC no?

I'm wondering about TVs now. Mine is LCD. I know it has an effingly bright lamp. I got it when the alternative was plasma, and LCD seemed clearly superior. Now, though, I wonder whether a LED or OLED screen would consume less power. And prices have come down quite a bit.

Quote: Fleastiff

I have no idea about the dollars involved in those habits but we sure admire you for your lifestyle.

Pah, nothing to admire. I'm not MichaelBlueJay making sacrifices based on a belief. I'm just a guy whose decisions left him living in poverty for a year. Things necessarily had to change, and I found the change to be more desirable.

Like roofing, living in such conditions is something I think everyone should experience. It's a complete game changer.

Quote: Nareed

I'm wondering about TVs now. Mine is LCD. I know it has an effingly bright lamp. I got it when the alternative was plasma, and LCD seemed clearly superior. Now, though, I wonder whether a LED or OLED screen would consume less power. And prices have come down quite a bit.

I have LCD. My "PC monitor" (a 40" LCD TV) is about 6-8yrs old. Like my aquarium pumps (which have all recently gone silent for the first time in forever) and my fridge, it's on all the time. My bill is still a pittance.

My gaming console TV is a 42" LED. I'm not sure if you have this in Mej, but appliances here typically come with an estimated energy usage sticker that states how much each appliance should use over a certain amount of time. The 42" LED states a whopping $12... per year.

I never really paid much attention to these stickers as energy is relatively cheap in USA#1, so I have no idea how an LCD or plasma compares. But when we're talking a tenner or two a year, it seems like you'd "make your money back" after you have already replaced the energy saver. In other words, it's not an economic move to switch.

Quote: Face

My bill is still a pittance.

It may not matter, but most of the minimum meter charges I have seen charge for a minimum of 700kw whether you use it or not? Your connection/meter fee comes with a minimum usage.

Quote: petroglyph

It may not matter, but most of the minimum meter charges I have seen charge for a minimum of 700kw whether you use it or not? Your connection/meter fee comes with a minimum usage.

I got dinged that minimum BS for my water, but I've seen nothing to make me believe that's true for my electric. The bill does vary, as does my usage. It's not like I get charged the exact same amount every time.

But I dunno. This is the first time I paid any attention to it. I'll have to pay attention for a few months. Find out I'm paying and not getting then I'll have to find a way to use it. Maybe start a grow in my basement =p

Quote: Face

My gaming console TV is a 42" LED. I'm not sure if you have this in Mej, but appliances here typically come with an estimated energy usage sticker that states how much each appliance should use over a certain amount of time. The 42" LED states a whopping $12... per year.

Led, as far as I know, doesn't require a big lamp to illuminate the screen from behind. LCD does. So A LED uses up $12 per year. How much does an LCD use up?

I just looked up my smaller unit based on the label. It looks like it is a 3.5 ton. Based on that I would guess the bigger unit must be a 5 ton. No wonder my bill is so expensive.

Quote: Nareed

Led, as far as I know, doesn't require a big lamp to illuminate the screen from behind. LCD does. So A LED uses up $12 per year. How much does an LCD use up?

There is almost nothing you can say in general about power requirements. They change them all the time and often they go down dramatically with new models.

The TV's in the house are very small, but the wattage is as follows.
26W 19" LED
32.4W 19" LCD
45W 22" LED - 7 years old
58W 24" LCD - 6 years old
75W 40" LED

I do remember that the 58W was discounted by 60% because the newer model was much more energy efficient. I calculated that it would take 45 years to make up the discounted price with higher electric bills.

The big manufacturer's goal is to try and make all televisions use 100 Watts or less. That way in the future they won't need power cords, since you will be able to get 100W in the next generation of USB ports with Cat 6 cords. I believe they are doing pretty good with keeping most 42" screens or less under 100 watts, but the bigger televisions are much harder.

But 100 Watts * 4 hours/day * 365 days / year * 1/1000 kilowatts/watts = 146 kWh/year * $0.12 /kWh = $17.52 electric per year.

But the cost of any electronics is a pittance compared to water heating by electric. There are two water heaters in this house (223 liters and 334 liters) and the energy sticker say one should use 5800 kWh per year and the other 4775 kWh per year. Together that is 10,575 kWh per year. Now obviously that is a huge overestimate since the whole house uses 23,620 kWh in a year.

Thanks, Paco.

IN other words, though the LCD screen uses up more than an equal size LED, there' not much in the way of savings to be had, compared to the price of the TV. So until it fails, I'll stick with it.

Now, one thing I do as much as possible is charge my phone, tablet and battery at the office. If an extra battery to last me the weekend is worth abt. 250-350 pesos, is it worth it on saved electricity? Regardless, I want a second battery for emergencies (like suddenly having to leave the office with a near-empty phone battery).

Quote: Nareed

Now, one thing I do as much as possible is charge my phone, tablet and battery at the office.

In Mexico you have the “Domestica de Alto Consumo” threshold which I think is about 400 kWh per month. As I said, there is no chance in hell of getting that low for most Americans. But you might be able to do it if you replace all your lightbulbs with energy efficient bulbs and possibly charge your computer battery at work.

How many kWh on your last bill? I know you said US$180, but it is difficult to translate that to kWh given the tiered structure and the IVA.

That kind of tiered rating used to be much more common in the USA, but it is relatively rare today.

Quote: Pacomartin

But you might be able to do it if you replace all your lightbulbs with energy efficient bulbs and possibly charge your computer battery at work.

I got two LED bulbs to try. I'll see about replacing the rest soon.

The PC draws a lot, but it's a desktop. I don't use the laptop much, and often it charges at hotels.

Quote:

How many kWh on your last bill?

636. There's an additional charge of about $5 US.