Sony’s VE5 TVs an eco-friendly choice

Kermit the Frog once famously grumbled “it’s not easy being green,” but today’s television manufacturers are trying to prove otherwise. Sony’s latest — the VE5 series of LCD HDTVs — takes energy efficiency to a whole new level, as witnessed at a recent press event in New York City.

Many HDTV makers are offering eco-friendly models that consume far less energy while in use and while turned off (yes, even though the power isn’t switched on, your electronics still draw power if plugged into an AC outlet).

In fact, in order to carry the new Energy Star 3.0 logo, TV manufacturers must meet the new – and far more rigid — specification for energy efficiency. Televisions with this sticker are at least 30 percent more energy efficient than previous models.

To give you an idea how much of a difference this new certification can make, if every television in the U.S. was Energy Star 3.0 compliant, the savings in energy costs would be about US $1 billion annually, while greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced by the equivalent of about one million cars.

Some TV makers are going above and beyond Energy Star specification. Sony’s new VE5 series Bravia LCD televisions, for example, have a zero-watt standby power switch – therefore consuming no power when turn off — along with a smart “presence sensor” that detects when you walk away and turns the television off after a short period of time (and turns back on when you return).

Sync recently attended an event in NYC and this technology worked like a charm.

What’s more, these VE5 televisions, which range in size from 40 to 52 inches, are the first to incorporate Sony’s exclusive micro-tubular Hot Cathode Fluorescent Lamp (HCFL) technology that helps reduce power consumption by nearly 40 percent compared to past LCD models.

Unfortunately, these TVs aren’t cheap. Canadian prices are $1,899.99  (for model KDL-40VE5),  $2,299.99 (for KDL-46VE5) and $2,899.99 (for KDL-52VE5).

Filed Under: Entertainment > Environment (Green) > HDTV > Home Entertainment > Science > Television
Tags: eco-friendly, Energy Star, green, HDTV, SONY, TV