New gadgets 'wasting more energy'

Flat panel TVs can use up to three times more electricity

New forms of entertainment are using far more energy than traditional technology, a new report has claimed.

The Energy Saving Trust said the new 'ICE age' (Information, Communication, Entertainment) was undermining efforts to manage domestic energy demand.

The popularity of digital radios, flat screen TVs and laptops increased the threat of climate change, it said.

The report said by 2020 'ICE age' technology would account for almost 50% of electricity used in NI homes.

Noel Williams of the Energy Saving Trust said Northern Ireland consumers "will be surprised to hear just what their home entertainment equipment gets up to".

"While owners' backs are turned, gadgets like televisions, computers, set top boxes and video recorders are spending billions of hours sucking up electricity," he said.

"With trends such as listening to the radio through TV and PC on the increase, it's highly unlikely that consumers realise that this uses far more energy than conventional means, or that digital radios use almost as much energy in the standby mode as they do while switched on.

"What's more, a new flat panel TV can use up to three times more electricity than a 'traditional' TV."