• LCD screen power requirements change depending on several factors.full hd lcd tv image by mattmatt73 from Fotolia.com
  
  Buying a high-definition television or laptop with an LCD screen should be the cause for celebration and not worry over how much the set will increase an electricity bill. A well-informed LCD owner will know what to expect from their power bill and be able to improve their screen's power consumption by understanding several factors that affect LCD power requirements.
  
  

Size

• As a rule with almost no exceptions, the bigger the television, the more power it will consume. Although LCD televisions use less energy to operate than plasma screens, the average standard LCD television uses around 111 Watts. According to CNET, a 32-inch LCD generally uses half the amount of electricity as a 52-inch. Obviously, this number will increase for larger televisions and will decrease for smaller sets, but the energy consumption does not increase exponentially as screens get larger.
  
  

Settings

• Power requirements for LCD screens also change depending upon the settings of the television of computer screen. According to CNET, reducing the brightness and contrast of the screen not only improves picture quality for movies and high-definition viewing, but it also decreases the energy consumption. Crutchfield contributor Jim Richardson states almost all HDTVs emerge from the factory with their brightness levels exceeding what is necessary so that they will stand out in stores. Green Energy Efficient Homes states that they tested the energy consumption of laptop LCD screens with a "Kill A Watt" meter and found that reducing brightness can reduce the screen's energy consumption by as much as 20 percent.
  
  

Brand

• Like any product, not all LCD screens are created equal, and some brand names are better known for energy efficiency than others. Crutchfield features a comparison of brand-name LCD televisions that assumes an average of six hours of use per day with 18 hours spent in standby mode. Although the differences between most brands were negligible, Samsung was the clear winner for screens ranging from 26 to 40 inches and for screens 54 inches and up. However, Crutchfield states that Sony had the lower energy consumption rating for the 46-inch televisions that were part of the test. As far as wattage used, a 60-inch Sony LCD television used as much as 127 Watts, with only 0.17 Watts used while in standby. A modestly sized 40-inch Samsung screen used about 55 Watts, while the usage for Samsung's 26-inch screens ranged between 44 and 52 Watts, further proving that wattage does not increase, drastically, along with screen size.