Bigger Isn't Better: Choosing TVs and Computers

It's easy to use the holidays as an excuse to drop money on a ginormous TV set or souped-up desktop computer. But it's worth keeping an eye on energy consumption, especially given the current high cost of power. Some big-screen plasma TVs can actually consume more energy annually than your refrigerator—one Panasonic plasma weighed in at 849 kilowatt hours/year, versus 670 kwh/year or less for many fridges. In general, "as screen size gets bigger, power consumption goes up and that's regular across the technology used, be it LCD, CRT, plasma or some other," says Mehernaz Polad of ICF International, a consultant for EPA's Energy Star program.

You'll also want to avoid toxic components, including flame retardants known as deca-brominated diphenyl ethers (deca-BDEs) which can be released from TV and computer cases onto surrounding surfaces where they may be inhaled or ingested. These chemicals accumulate in breast milk and may affect babies' developing brains. For general tips to avoid deca-BDEs, try to purchase computers and other electronics in cases made of metal, such as Apple desktops or Panasonic Toughbooks, or of flame-resistant plastic, such as products by Toshiba and NEC. Also, all Sony and Panasonic electronics are PBDE-free, while Samsung and Sharp do not add flame retardants, although some may be in recycled plastics used in making new products.

Beyond flame retardants, heavy metals like neurotoxic lead and mercury as well as carcinogenic chromium and cadmium can leach into the environment when machines end up in landfills or are incorrectly disassembled in third world countries. Though none are perfect, below are some greener choices for holiday splurges.

TVs

The easiest way to pick an energy-saving television is to go with a small screen, preferably a liquid crystal display (LCD) since these not only consume less electricity, they also contain less lead than cathode ray tubes (CRTs). Currently, Energy Star only checks for energy consumption when the TV is turned off (in "standby mode") even though at least 80 percent of the energy it consumes occurs while in use. For more accurate energy consumption information, Polad of ICF recommends recent CNET energy use ratings.