Going green, it's the latest fad in today's times with everyone sporting the 'Green' tech certified label on their products, but how can we be certain if they are really helping the environment? Green tech needn't require a label on the box to be certified. For instance something as simple as using a Phillips Long Life light bulb instead of a regular one can save you a lot of power, while at the same time last you longer.

Besides fridges, which need to run continuously, there is another appliance in every household that's almost constantly on. It's none other that out favorite idiot box which has evolved from black and white CRT's all the way to LCD technology, and now LED TV's paving the way for OLED TV's and god knows what else. So why are we banking so hard all of a sudden on going green?

Well, most of us are oblivious to the fact that generating electricity is more of a struggle nowadays than it was earlier. While researching the web for this article I stumbled upon some facts by NTPC which is our nation's largest electricity provider. Their 79 coal-fired units spread across the country managed to increase their electricity output by 3.7% over the previous year but had to consume 5.4% more coal.

So in order to generate the same amount energy we are burning more coal, which increases the carbon footprint drastically, which in turn affects the environment. If LED technology can help reduce power intake, which means less coal being burnt, leading to a smaller carbon footprint, then the small premium is definitely worth it.

LED TV's are currently the talk of the town with Samsung currently being the only one advertising their Series 6 TV's that sport a stunning slim design and promises low power consumption. One thing you should remember is that the panel itself hasn't changed but it's just the backlight that's different, so whether it's a VA, TN or IPS it doesn't matter. But what matters is the backlight used to illuminate the panel determines how power efficient the TV really is. There are different types of backlighting used in LCD's like Electroluminescence Panel (ELP), Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp (CCFL), Woven Fiber, Incandescent and LED.

Let's start off with the traditional backlighting method known as CCFL or Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp lighting. Here the LCD panel is lit up by a cold cathode lamp placed behind the LCD with the diffuser evenly distributing light across the TV. These are usually placed at the top and bottom of the screen, which is why at time you'll notice some bleeding at the top and bottom sections when you have a black background.

CCFLs normally have a life span of 10,000 to 20000 hrs, which is shorter than that of LEDs. Some of the biggest known drawbacks of CCFLs can be seen in cold weather when the light output can drop down by almost 60%. Also, their life span can be reduced greatly by vibrations, sometimes up to 50%, so it should be handled with extreme care.