With numerous green policies and taxes, including soaring electricity prices, it is no wonder that everyone is looking to reduce electricity consumption as much as possible. Households are focusing on reducing their energy bills, while countries are looking to reduce their carbon footprint. However, you will need to know how much energy your monitor consumes.
The typical CRT monitor would consume around 80 watts when you are using it. However, many manufacturers have designed variations and included numerous features, which would significantly influence energy consumption. Some might consume more and others would consume less. We will look at some of the basic consumption stats to help you understand.
How Much Energy Does The Average Monitor And Computer Use?
Whilst the focus of this article is to look at monitors, most people would use their monitors with a computer. You must understand the numbers of your monitor and your PC if you want to reduce the overall consumption of energy. Bear in mind that these figures are all based on averages and do not speak to one specific monitor or computer:
| Monitor Type | Energy Consumption | Computer Type | Energy Consumption |
| 17-inch CRT | 80-watts | Desktop PC | 60-250 watts |
| 17-inch LCD | 35-watts | PC with an active screensaver | 60-250 watts |
| Sleeping Mode | 0-15 watts | Standby or sleep mode | 1-6 watts |
| Turned Off | 0-10 watts | Laptop | 15-45 watts |
As you can see from the average stats, it is quite hard to see how you could save when it comes to the low energy consumption of these consumer products. However, EnergyStar has been reviewing computers and monitors and has designed labels, which would ensure the monitors are not consuming too much energy.
Unfortunately, very few people support the movement, and people have to buy and use monitors they can afford. EnergyStar suggests that if every household would replace one computer with a computer that features the EnergyStar label, we could save around 219 billion pounds of greenhouse gases.
While these energy-saver monitors might seem expensive, it is worth noting that depending on the level of energy it saves, you could be looking at approximately $7 to $52 per year in overall savings on your electricity. Unfortunately, the numbers are not that impressive when considering the average monthly utility bills of Americans, which is why people would buy monitors they could afford.
Wrap-Up
Compared to other appliances in your home, monitors are some of the products that consume the least amount of energy when we compare them to other products. A good monitor would save you a few bucks, but there are numerous other appliances like your fridge that can save even more. Let us know in the comment section how much energy your monitor is saving.
This article was last updated on November 3, 2022 .
