When purchasing a new monitor or television, you can now choose from many features and properties. Energy efficiency is one of them, especially if you want to save electricity and protect the environment. A look at the green, orange or red EU energy label should actually make the purchase easier in this regard. TECHBOOK reveals why it is still worth taking a closer look.
The EU energy efficiency classes have been in effect since March 2021. They range from A to G and indicate the power consumption of a device compared to similar models. This should make it easier for customers to decide on a more energy-efficient device in order to save energy and protect their wallet and the environment in the long term. However, when buying new monitors and televisions in particular, there are a few special features of the EU energy label that you should be aware of.
With both televisions and monitors, you should first pay attention to the screen diagonal, since the devices are rated according to their size. A 75-inch TV naturally consumes more electricity than a 32-inch one. Nevertheless, both can carry the same EU energy label, as only the comparison to other models in the same size category is relevant. So if you are not only interested in energy efficiency, but also in the electricity actually consumed, you should not only pay attention to the label when buying, but also pay particular attention to the information on electricity consumption. This data is given on the energy certificate and often in more detail in the technical information.
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How do the EU energy labels work?
The more efficient a device is, the higher it is rated. However, the top two classes, A and B – green and therefore particularly energy-efficient – are still unmatched, especially for televisions. Since 2021, stricter criteria have applied here than with the old labels (A+++, A+ etc.), so that since then almost all TV models have carried the EU energy label E, F or even G. This stricter assessment aims to motivate manufacturers to develop energy-saving and environmentally friendly innovations. Customers are now even more aware than in the past that a more expensive product with a better energy efficiency class can pay off in the long term, especially when electricity prices are high.
But how big is the financial difference between the energy classes of TV and monitor really? To find out, TECHBOOK calculated and compared the annual power consumption and its costs for three TV and monitor models with different EU energy labels. The calculation did not take into account the standby power. A modern television or monitor consumes about 0.5 watts per hour in standby. Assuming that a television is in operation for one hour and on standby for 23 hours per day, the unused TV consumes 4198 kWh ((23×0.5)x365). At the current average electricity price (June 2023) of 34.96 cents per kilowatt hour, that is 1.47 euros per year – not much in itself, but with several devices in standby this can add up. The solution is simple: pull the plug or switch off the power strip. TECHBOOK has calculated and tested in a self-experiment how much electricity can actually be saved with such simple measures.
Average TV power consumption
Most televisions are in the bottom three energy efficiency classes E, F and G. This is mainly due to the high demands and habits of customers: larger screens, modern screen technology, i.e. OLED, QLED or LCD, powerful processors and WLAN connections for Smart -TVs. All of this requires a lot of power, as does image optimization, first-class sound and an extended range of colors and contrasts (HDR). The latter is stated separately by the manufacturers in addition to the normal power consumption, even if this value has no influence on the energy label. So you have to pay special attention here, especially since manufacturers like to start here to trick a little with the energy efficiency class.
TVs with 43 and 55 inch screens are the most popular models for the living room at home and, simply because of their size, are big energy guzzlers. For the comparison, we compared three 55-inch televisions. We assumed a daily use of one hour and calculated the annual consumption. The actual duration of use in everyday life and thus also the electricity price can of course be higher and are also influenced by individual settings such as screen brightness or contrast strength. The calculated values are therefore for orientation.
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Class F: Samsung GQ55Q60BAUXZG
The Samsung 55″ QLED 4K Q60B is a high-end television that consumes 77 watts per hour at SDR (Standard Dynamic Range) and thus falls into the second worst energy efficiency class, F. That’s about an hour of use per year per year 28kWh and electricity costs of 9.83 euros (you then have to factor in the standby consumption).
However, this model already shows a first pitfall of the EU energy label, because the specification of the energy efficiency class is based on the consumption in SDR mode. But if the television is running with HDR, it consumes almost twice as much, namely 130 watts, which corresponds to the worst label G. The power consumption and the costs also increase accordingly to almost double 47kWh and 16.59 euros per year.
Class G: Philips 55OLED807
At the Philips 55OLED On the other hand, the situation is exactly the opposite: HDR deserves the label F with 77 watts and demands annual electricity costs of 9.83 euros, while SDR ends up in the worst category G with 84 watts. So you should think about which mode you prefer to use before you buy it. With SDR consumes the Philips 30.66kWh and thus 10.72 euros per year. This means that the Philips (SDR class G) differs only slightly from the Samsung (SDR class F) in terms of its consumption – a difference that does not always pay off. So it’s worth taking a closer look and checking your own needs instead of just relying on the EU energy labels.
Class E: Daewoo 55DM62UA
With a power consumption of comparatively low 64 watts in SDR mode, the daewoo at least in the orange category E and is therefore one of the better TV models – at least in terms of energy efficiency. With a total of 23.36kWh per year and 8.17 euros the electricity bill is correspondingly slimmer. But it also applies here that the difference in comparison to the next lower energy efficiency class F remains manageable. However, if you regularly use the television for significantly more than an hour a day, a more energy-efficient device will still be worthwhile.
Incidentally, the Daewoo performs similarly poorly with HDR as the Samsung and consumes 123 watts. A device can therefore combine both the mediocre energy class E and the worst label G. The manufacturer usually lists both ratings in the specifications, but the certificate with the colored bars only needs to state the SDR.
Also read: 7 energy-saving televisions in comparison
Average power consumption of a monitor
Especially in the home office, the additional monitor often runs for many hours at a time in addition to the laptop or PC. High energy consumption is quickly reflected in the electricity bill. According to EU regulations, monitors must also be provided with an energy label, since they fall into the “television” product group. The English term “electronic displays‘ is more self-explanatory. For this test, TECHBOOK compared three different 24-inch monitors, because the different sizes of these devices are also evaluated separately. We also assumed an 8-hour working day.
Class C: Fujitsu Displays P2410 TS
According to the energy label, the most energy-efficient monitor in this series is the Fujitsu Displays P2410 TS, which at least gets the light green label C with 12 watts per hour (SDR). On an 8-hour working day, therefore, 96 watts respectively 3.35 cents per day and 16.75 cents per week or a good 12 euros per year – a very manageable price.
Class E: AOC 24P3CW
In contrast, the AOC 24P3CW with the mediocre energy efficiency class E consumes 18 watts in both SDR and HDR mode. After a day’s work come so 144 watts and 5.03 cents 1 euro on the electricity bill together and after four weeks in the home office, while with Fujitsu you only pay 67 cents.
Class F: MSI Mag Artymis 242CDE
The model with the worst energy label in this series of examples is the MSI Mag Artymis with 21.8 watts and class F – after all, a curved gaming monitor. After 8 hours of gaming or working, he has 174.4 watts consumed and therefore costs 6.1 cents per day – 30.49 cents per week and 1.22 euros per month.
While this example calculation is only about cent amounts, there can be differences of around 30 euros between classes E and F over the course of a year. If the more energy-efficient model also covers all other needs, the purchase can be clearly worthwhile in the long term. And unlike televisions, monitors have a wider range of models with higher EU energy labels. Of course, the following also applies: the more time you spend in front of the screen, the more worthwhile is a low efficiency class.
You should consider this when buying
Basically, the EU energy labels are very helpful to get a first impression of how energy efficient a model is compared to others. If you want to save money on electricity in particular, you should definitely take a look at the actual consumption, since very efficient large devices usually consume more electricity than small, inefficient ones. It can also happen that two devices with different labels have a very similar consumption, so that the financial difference is negligible. This is the case, for example, when one television is in the lower range of Class E, while another in the upper range of Class F has almost the same consumption.
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However, there is actually a relatively wide selection in the better and at least mediocre classes, especially when it comes to monitors, so that researching an energy-efficient model is definitely worthwhile. The televisions and especially smart TVs, on the other hand, are almost all in the bottom three quality classes, so they are not particularly efficient and energy-saving. Above all, you should take into account the actual consumption in the preferred SDR or HDR mode, as they differ greatly from one another and can cause unpleasant surprises on the electricity bill.
And there is something else you should consider before you buy: The screen brightness affects the power consumption and thus also the classification in classes A to G. The manufacturers like to cheat here and lower the brightness level on delivery. It may only be reduced by a maximum of 35 percent or at least 220 candelas per square meter must be set, but if you increase the screen brightness at home, the manufacturer’s information is no longer correct. Here, too, the electricity price can rise unnoticed, especially with an energy-inefficient device.