Cable Box Energy
Energy Use of Cable, Satellite and Telephone Set-Top Boxes to Be Slashed, Saving Consumers $1 Billion Annually
So we have a major win for energy efficiency was announced today. For the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), along with leading advocates, the U.S. Department of Energy, the pay-TV industry, and also equipment manufacturers, unveiled a voluntary agreement. For this agreement will also cut electricity use from set-top boxes by $1 billion per year.
Power Savings That Pack a Punch
Once fully implemented, the deal will most certainly:
- Save the equivalent energy of three power plants
- Cut 5 million tons of carbon pollution annually
- Lower electricity bills across nearly 90 million U.S. homes
These new savings will come from energy-efficient set-top boxes, the devices used by cable, satellite, and telecom providers to deliver pay TV content.
Public Accountability and Real Results
For the first time ever, the companies involved have most notably agreed to:
- Purchase and also deploy more energy-efficient set-top boxes
- Publicly report the energy usage of their newest devices
This increased transparency empowers consumers while holding providers accountable.
A Year in the Making
The announcement follows a year of intense negotiations that sparked by NRDC’s revealing study. In addition, the report showed that set-top boxes were burning through $3 billion in electricity annually. So even when not in active use—consuming power while “off”. That’s when they are neither recording nor playing content.
This hidden waste spurred action from all corners of the industry.
A Statement from NRDC
Noah Horowitz, senior scientist and director of NRDC’s Center for Energy Efficiency, and also a lead negotiator, shared:
“This historic agreement promises to put $1 billion back in the pockets of U.S. consumers every year because the new set-top boxes will use less energy. We also appreciate the industry’s renewed commitment toward making the devices that bring pay TV into 90 million-plus U.S. homes more efficient and look forward to working together to reduce their future energy use.”
What’s Next?
With the agreement in place, industry players are expected to roll out energy-saving boxes quickly. As newer models hit the market, consumers will benefit from lower energy bills—and a smaller carbon footprint.
This is also proof that collaboration between government, industry, and advocates can deliver massive energy savings without sacrificing performance or innovation.
Cable Box Energy Signatories
Signatories to the agreement include pay-TV providers (also listed according to number of customers):
- Comcast
- DIRECTV
- DISH Network
- Time Warner Cable
- AT&T
- Verizon
- Cox
- Charter
- Cablevision
- Bright House Networks
- and CenturyLink;
- and manufacturers Cisco
- ARRIS (including Motorola)
- and EchoStar Technologies.
The energy efficiency advocate signatories in addition to NRDC are the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) and the Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP).
USDOE Comments on Cable Box Energy Agreement
Finally, go here for the joint statement from signatories and DOE: http://energy.gov/articles/us-energy-department-pay-television-industry-and-energy-efficiency-groups-announce-set-top
Here is a link to Noah’s blog on the topic: http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/nhorowitz/historic_agreement_to_slash_en.html
SAN FRANCISCO (December 23, 2013)
Picture source:
Motorola DCT 6412-Phase 2 dual-tuner analogue/digital cable box & DVR (digital video recorder), on Boston MA area Comcast cable system., 24 December 2006, Author: DCTGoddess
