If you've been spending more hours than ever curled up on your couch, you're not alone.
The quarantine has given us all the perfect excuse to settle in, get comfy and escape into our favorite binge-worthy shows and movies.


A recent survey shows that during Covid-19, the average American is streaming roughly eight hours of shows and movies per day. That’s a lot of content. And if you’re not careful, all that streaming can max out your energy bill.


Here are a few easy ways to minimize your energy use as you stream.


Use a Smaller Screen
Now that we’re all homebodies, we have plenty of choices for watching TV shows and movies. But the amount of energy you use streaming can vary widely depending on the device. Tablets use significantly less energy than any other device to watch your favorite show. If your tablet is ENERGY STAR® certified, it uses four times less energy than streaming to a laptop and 15 times less than a desktop computer. Keep in mind, screen brightness really affects power usage, so be sure to set your tablet to the auto-brightness setting. That will automatically adjust the screen brightness based on ambient light.


Smart TVs are a Smart Choice
Turns out those Smart TVs really are smart. Their built-in components and user interfaces allow you to kick back and relax with a great show or movie with a fraction of the energy expenditure. They use up to 30 times less power!


Pick Gadgets that Are Already Energy-Smart
If you’re in the market for new TV-watching equipment, it pays to look for that ENERGY STAR logo. Just as an example, an ENERGY STAR® certified digital media player (DMP) is 45% more efficient than a regular one.


Use Game Consoles for Gaming
Game consoles are SO MUCH FUN. They also use SO MUCH ENERGY. If you can, reserve your game console exclusively for gaming and leave the streaming to other devices. A game console uses 15 times more energy than a digital media player and uses four times more energy than a traditional cable box or satellite.


Hit the Lights!
Pop some corn and turn off the lights when you stream. It not only makes your home theater experience a little more authentic, it also saves energy! Just don’t fall asleep for the night with the TV running.


So, go on. Take advantage of the moment. This is a new golden age of TV and we’re all stuck at home! Stream all the streams and catch up on content to help make sheltering in place a little more bearable. Just remember to make the best energy choices when you do.


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