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Choose the lowest-power device for each job

The same film can cost very different amounts of energy depending on the screen. Pick devices by measured watts per hour of use.

How

1. Phones, tablets and e-readers run from their own batteries and recharge from small USB chargers, so they can be charged in the midday solar peak.
2. For solo or small-group viewing, compare a laptop, a desktop computer and a TV on your meter and use whichever draws least per hour.
3. For family film nights, compare a small projector, a modest TV and a laptop by measured watts, and remember viewers cluster around one screen instead of three.
4. DC-powered TVs and speakers made for vehicles or boats can run straight from a 12 V or 24 V circuit and avoid inverter losses; check the manufacturer's voltage range.
5. Battery Bluetooth speakers and wired headphones let one device serve the room or one person at little cost.
6. Keep one disc player if you kept physical discs (entertainment-7).

Sources

1. Estimating Appliance and Home Electronic Energy Use. US Department of Energy, Energy Saver, accessed 2026-11

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