The International Energy Agency, which is based in Paris, has released a report outlining the future energy consumption of consumer electronic devices, and it doesn’t look good. By 2030, consumer electronics, which includes flat panel televisions, will consume 1,700 terawatt hours – which is what Japan and the US presently consume in total home electricity. The IEA points out that this will adversely impact our environment if left ungoverned.

A lot of the blame rests with the consumer electronics industry, which, as the IEA claims, is a large consumer of energy with very few regulations. And the larger TVs get, the more energy they consume. IEA predicts that there will soon be 2 billion TVs in use around the globe. The IEA has listed strides that consumers can take to limit their energy consumption, by installing an energy monitor into their homes and being actively involved in controlling their use of electronic devices