Energy efficiency is of utmost importance to Australia. The purchase of an energy efficient Plasma or LCD TV reduces your household energy consumption. This benefits you directly in the form of lower electricity bills. Just as importantly, it benefits all Australians when each of us does our part to reduce greenhouse emissions. For these reasons, we prominently display an energy efficiency rating below all of our product descriptions.

Energy Star Ratings

All of us are aware of the Energy Star Six Star Energy Efficiency rating system. When you browse for products on Comparison.com.au, you will notice that we use green circles on our short product descriptions. Do we use the same energy efficiency rating system that Energy Star uses? In essence, yes, we do follow Energy Star's guidelines and also include their familiar stars on our individual product specifications pages.

However, the energy efficiency ratings for TVs and some other goods have recently been undergoing changes as tougher Energy star standards have been developed. This has resulted in some confusion. While a product may have been given a 5 Star rating in the past, it may have received only 2 Stars under the new rating algorithm. In addition, since these new ratings have only recently come into effect, not all manufacturers have yet supplied us with updated Energy Star energy efficiency rating data.

Energy Efficiency System

In order to provide you with fair and accurate energy efficiency comparisons across all brands, models, screen sizes and technologies, we have developed an energy efficiency system based on the amount of power (measured in watts) per square centimetre of screen area. In this way, you can accurately compare the energy efficiency of, for example, a 50" Panasonic plasma TV with the energy efficiency of a 40" Sharp LCD TV. This "power per unit" (1 unit equals 1 square centimetre of screen area) is consistent with energy efficiency rating systems developed for other electrical appliances by government standards organisations including the Australian Government Energy Rating Initiative. For example, the energy efficiency of refrigerators and freezers is calculated taking their capacity or volume (measured in litres) into consideration.

For TVs, we arrive at our energy efficiency rating by measuring and calculating the screen area that one watt of energy can power. When one watt of energy can power more cubic centimetres of screen area on one TV than on another, regardless of screen size or technology (LCD or Plasma), we give that TV a higher energy efficiency rating. Our calculations are based on the screen size and power consumption data provided by manufacturers. By law, this information must be accurate within narrow parameters.

Energy Efficiency vs Energy Usage

It is important to remember that energy efficiency does not directly correspond with energy usage. To help you determine the absolute or total energy consumption of the TV you are considering, we also include its absolute (total) power consumption as measured in watts by the manufacturer in our individual product descriptions. Clearly, a 22" LCD TV will consume less energy than a 46" LCD TV with the same energy efficiency rating. Keep this in mind when you are comparing TVs. In our LCD TV Buyer's Guide, we offer buying tips, including an optimum viewing distance guide. You may not need as large a TV as you think.

As we report in About Energy Star TV Energy Ratings, currently, all televisions offered for sale in Australia must meet Minimum Energy Consumption Standards (MECS) of at least 1 Star on the Energy Star labelling system. This is set to increase to 4 Stars by October 2112. As manufacturers improve the energy efficiency of their products and provide us with the details, we will include their updated Energy Star information in our product descriptions. In the meantime, check out our most energy efficient Plasma and LCD TV's. This is the quickest and easiest way to make your energy efficiency comparisons and choose the best TV for your needs.