NEWS

In a precedent-setting collaboration between the pay-TV industry, the consumer electronics industry, and energy efficiency advocates have developed non-regulatory energy efficiency standards for pay-TV set-top boxes.

Participants include the United States Department of Energy (DOE), the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), the Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP), the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA).

According to the DOE, the standards improve set-top box efficiency by 10 to 45 percent, depending on device model. By 2017 than 90 million American households will see significant energy savings thanks to the new standards , saving consumers more than $1 billion cumulatively on energy bills each year.

The set-top box efficiency standards announced today will ultimately save enough electricity each year to power 700,000 homes. The standards will also avoid more than five million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year. As consumer demand for digital video recorders and high-definition set-top boxes grows, actual consumer savings are likely to be even greater. The introduction of whole-home devices will also further reduce the overall energy footprint.

Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz  notes, “These energy efficiency standards reflect a collaborative approach among the Energy Department, the pay-TV industry and energy efficiency groups – building on more than three decades of common-sense efficiency standards that are saving American families and businesses hundreds of billions of dollars. The set-top box efficiency standards will save families money by saving energy, while delivering high quality appliances for consumers that keep pace with technological innovation.”

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) adds: “In 2011, I urged the CEOs of every major television service provider to work together to introduce more energy efficient set-top boxes.  At the time, set-top boxes were costing Americans $3 billion in electricity charges each year—with $2 billion wasted when televisions were not being used.”

Feinstein says the amount of energy saved by the new standards new standards “will eliminate the need for three power plants and prevent five million tons of C02 emissions per year. This agreement lasts until 2017, and I intend to monitor the situation carefully to ensure the industry remains committed to building on today’s substantial progress in future years.”

Gary Shapiro, CEA president and CEO says, “The expanded voluntary set-top box energy conservation agreement accommodates both rapid evolution and energy efficiency for this product category and demonstrates our industry’s commitment in leading the way to provide consumers with products that reduce energy consumption and save money.”

The new standards complements the Obama Administration’s energy policy. Since 2008, the DOE has finalized new efficiency standards for more than  30 household and commercial products, which it’s estimated will save consumers more than $400 billion through 2030.

If met, the efficiency standards set for appliances and federal buildings during Obama’s first and second terms will reduce carbon pollution by three billion metric tons cumulatively by 2030, which nearly equals one-half of the carbon pollution from the entire United States energy sector for one year.