Los Angeles (CA) – That huge plasma screen in your living room probably isn’t an energy sucking beast – at least that’s what the Plasma Display Coalition wants you to believe.  The coalition says large plasma screens measuring 42 inches and larger are surprisingly energy efficient and upcoming models could cost just $4 a month to operate.   Over one year, that’s less than it costs to fill up a Honda gas tank, according to Jim Palumbo, president of the PDC.

Speaking at the DisplaySearch/NPD HDTV conference in Los Angeles, Palumbo says plasma screens are often mischaracterized as being energy hogs, but claims the industry has made “huge” strides in manufacturing and efficiency.  2008 model screens are 15% to 20% more efficient than ones made just one year ago and Palumbo told the audience that people should start calling them “entertainment efficient” for displaying great images while sipping on just 155 watts of power (for a 42-inch 720p display).  50-inch displays in 720p and 1080p resolutions use 210 and 307 watts of power respectively.  Palumbo added that the coalition will reduce power consumption of its screens by another 50% by 2012.  Thickness will also be cut by 30%.

Assuming a 10 cents per kilowatt energy price and an average of four to six hours of television viewing per day, a nice big plasma television would only use approximately $4 worth of electricity per month.  “That’s less than dinner and two movie tickets” or filling up a Honda, according to Palumbo.

Many plasma television set owners believe their televisions are energy hogs.  In a recent study, plasma television screen owners thought 11% of their electricity bill was due to television usage, but according to Palumbo, the reality is much different with actual usage numbers from the CEA weighing in at 4%.

While it does certainly sound great that plasma displays will get more energy efficient, Palumbo’s own data seems to show that consumers just don’t give a damn about how much electricity their sets soak up.  In one slide, just 51% of plasma television owners said they considered energy efficiency to be important in purchasing decisions.  This was second to the last above weight.  In another slide, 49% of plasma owners said they looked “very closely” or “closely” at their energy bills.  Take a big guess at what the other 51% thought.

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