Energy-efficiency advocates have been clamoring for years for federal standards for new cable-TV boxes—formally set-top boxes—home entertainment devices that have earned the energy-hog designation because they stay turned on even when not in use.  While the Department of Energy (DOE) has not set energy-efficiency standards for set-top boxes, now there is the potential for change thanks to a new voluntary agreement involving the DOE, many pay-TV companies, the consumer electronics industry, and nonprofit organizations.  The main provision of the agreement will improve the efficiency of new set-top boxes by 10 percent to 45 percent by 2017. 

$1 billion savings

Set-top boxes are computers that receive updated data and software only if they are turned on.  Also, viewers need to wait until the box boots up if all power is cut, an inconvenience most Americans will not accept.  According to the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC), one of the signatories to the agreement, each set-top box consumes 100 to 400 kilowatt hours of energy (kWh) per year, adding up to 23 billion kWh of electricity used nationwide.  

But the NRDC points out that a set-top box has a number of different components that do not require power unless the box is tuning in to live programming, recording content, or communicating with the service provider’s network. Components such as hard drives and tuners could be powered down for many hours every day without impacting the user experience, says the NRDC.  The most optimistic annual benefits of the agreement are a reduction in electricity consumption of about 10 billion kWh (enough electricity to power 700,000 homes), a cut in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of 5 million tons (the output of three power plants), and savings of $1 billion on the energy bills of Americans. 

Reporting and verification

The agreement covers all types of set-top boxes from pay-TV providers, including cable, satellite, and telephone companies.  The pay-TV industry has committed to publicly report model-specific set-top-box energy use, and an annual audit of service providers will be conducted by an independent auditor to ensure boxes are performing at the efficiency levels specified in the agreement.  The DOE also retains its authority to test set-top boxes under the Energy Star® verification program, which provides another verification tool to measure the efficiency of set-top boxes.

According to Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA), the agreement ensures that by 2017, 90 percent of all set-top boxes will be as energy-efficient as the most efficient boxes being used today.  Feinstein said that since 2011, she has been urging CEOs of every major television service provider to work together to introduce more energy-efficient set-top boxes.  “I intend to monitor the situation carefully to ensure the industry remains committed to building on today’s substantial progress in future years,” said Feinstein.

The voluntary agreement