Plasma TVs use more power than CRT TVs but LCDs use less.

Power consumption
The power required to run an LCD is about one-third of that required for a CRT with the same screen area. In addition, the amount of heat generated by an LCD monitor is considerably less than a CRT monitor, resulting in a lower load on air conditioning. Building cooling needs may be decreased by up to 20%.

William,

     I am not so sure about LCD's TVs using less than CRT TVs.  

   It is true that LCD monitors use a lot less power than CRT monitors. In my case I replaced a 20"CRT monitor (80 watts) with a 19" LCD monitor (25 Watts).

   I have a 27" CRT TV (75 Watts). The obvious replacement for it is a 32" LCD (the difference in aspect ratio makes a larger LCD more comparable). Looking at 32" Panasonic TC-32LX85, it shows 142 Watts power consumption. Looking at the 26" Panasonic TC-26LX85, it shows 124 Watts power consumption. In a table form

27" CRT TV = 75 Watts (measured)
32" LCD TV = 142 Watts (from spec sheet)
26" LCD TV = 124 Watts (from spec sheet)

So actually, it looks like the current generation LCD TVs use more power than older CRTs. This should not be the case, but it is.

Philips is working on fixing this problem. Their 42" 42PFL5603D LCD TV claims to takes as little as 75 Watts, which is excellent for a 42" TV. However, the specification shows 265 Watts. So this might be an issue of maximum versus typical power consumption.

As a result, I am still waiting to replace my CRT TV (well that and the fact that it refused to break).

Thanks

John

Hi John

Maybe it depends on the specific LCD vs CRT, number of pixels or other factors- I bought my Mom a 26in LCD TV a few months ago and I remember it used less energy than her 25 inch CRT TV - but the information I pulled of the web did have to do with monitors not TVs so I'm sorry if I'm wrong about the general case.

William,
    Well, LCDs TVs should be more efficient than CRT TVs, but it doesn't seem to be the case.
    One fustrating thing about LCD TVs is that often they do not list the power consumption on the spec. sheets. This makes it harder to compare.
    But no doubt about Plasma TVs using a lot of electricity. If you stand in front of one in the store, you can feel the heat.
    I think the future of energy efficient TVs is automatic sensing of ambient lighting conditions and adjusting backlight levels. If the room is bright, the TV will get brighter to compensate (less efficient). If the room is dark, the TV will be dimmer (more efficient). I have this feature in my Pocket PC (PDA) and it works great. Saves energy and gives a better viewing experience.
Later
John C. Briggs

And this has what to do with EVs?

This was a discussion on the EVs straining the electrical grid system- there was an article about new TVs already straining the Grid.