A recent report showed that more-efficient TV set-top boxes saved $168 million in electricity last year. Set-top box trade associations voluntarily created the efficiency standards ahead of government regulation. Though the efficiency standards did result in savings, the $168 million figure fell short of the $1 billion savings goal. Some consumer advocates are unimpressed and are arguing that set-top box efficiency standards could be more aggressive. Additionally, the report indicated that penetration of the high-efficiency set-top boxes is only around 20%, with the remainder of households still using older, less-efficient models.
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More energy-efficient TV boxes saved about $168 million, industry says
Los Angeles Times, August 29, 2014Consumers saved an estimated $168 million in electricity last year as a result of improved efficiency of television set-top boxes, the industry said in a report released this week.
The report was the first annual estimate of the industry’s performance on a voluntary agreement to reduce the power-hungry device’s use of electricity.
The electrical output of more than four nuclear power plants is needed around the clock to keep set-top boxes operating in tens of millions of homes, according to estimates by government and private groups.