DVR/Cable Box the biggest energy hog in our homes?!?!

[BoBoBREWSKI]

Wow. I never would have thought a cable box/DVR would use more power than a fridge.

The Natural Resources Defense Council has ranked the biggest energy hogs in the home, and the thing that's gobbling up the most is probably not what you think: the pairing of your digital video recorder and set-top box.
The environmental monitoring group released a study today that says that a high-definition cable or satellite set-top box when combined with a high-definition DVR uses up 446 kilowatt hours per year. That's more than a new Energy Star rated 21 cubic-foot refrigerator, which uses 415 kWh per year, according to the NRDC's data.
The combination of an HD DVR and an HD cable or satellite box in a house wastes many hours of energy even when not in use, the group found. The study reports that it costs American consumers more in electricity bills per year when they're not using their DVR and set-top box than when they are: $2 billion a year versus $1 billion a year collectively.
The group estimates that there are 160 million set top boxes currently installed in U.S. homes, and together they emit 16 million metric tons of carbon dioxide every year.
Among the different types of set-tops the NRDC tested, streaming only devices (Roku, Apple TV), and standard-definition receivers consumed much less power than HD receivers and HD DVRs.
The problem, the NRDC says, is that many of these set-tops do not have a low-power mode, like a cell phone or a laptop. Hitting the "off" button will typically dim the clock or display, but will not actually turn the device off or even reduce a significant amount of power that it's using in "sleep mode."
"We've improved the efficiency of all sorts of electronics--from TVs to video game consoles," said Noah Horowitz, senior scientist and director of the Center for Energy Efficiency. "It's just as possible to improve the efficiency of our DVRs and other pay TV boxes. But they're not going to build a better mousetrap unless we, the consumers, demand it."
Horowitz suggests consumers can ask their TV service providers that issue set-top boxes, Comcast, DirecTV, Dish Network, Time Warner, and others for Energy Star 4.0-rated devices in order to cut back on electricity use and save money on their monthly bill.


Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-2...op-box-use-most-energy-at-home/#ixzz1Pv6eVK7S

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[Klinky]

Well that's Comcastic! More reasons to break-up the telco companies...

My circa 2000 RCA TV actually gobbles 20 watts while turned off & 80 watts while turn on. There are all sorts of things plugged in around the house that sap tiny amounts of power, constantly. It would be nice if we had energy meters built in to each plug-in & a centralized way to monitor what's using what. Break it down into costs, maybe even have a switch on the outlet so it's easy to power off everything attached to it.

 

[speeds]

Yeah I noticed that these things don't turn off a while ago because they continue to record scheduled programs, so there is no "off-off" unless you unplug it--which nobody does because it resets your program guide.

 

[jlprk]

The study reports that it costs American consumers more in electricity bills per year when they're not using their DVR and set-top box than when they are:

That makes no sense until I make these assumptions. This is only for HD. The TV is fully on less than half the day, and off, or in sleep mode, more than half the day. The black box converter and the DVR have no sleep mode, so they use full electricity 24 hours a day.

As the article says, manufacturers of the converter and DVR simply need to add a sleep mode.

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

As the article says, manufacturers of the converter and DVR simply need to add a sleep mode.

Ya, that'd be a great feature. Seems like a no brainer!

 

[44Thrilla]

that's weird because I went from no cable box to hd dvr a while back and didn't notice a spike in my bill.

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-2...-set-top-box-energy-efficiency/?tag=cnetRiver