Consumers saved $15 billion over 10 years, since voluntary agreement launched
August 24, 2023 - Consumers saved more than $3 billion in energy costs in 2022 as a result of a voluntary agreement between the pay-TV industry and energy efficiency advocates to improve the energy efficiency of set-top boxes, or equipment used to access video programming. Led by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)®, NCTA - The Internet & Television Association and CableLabs®, the agreement has cut the aggregate energy use of set-top boxes by 63% in the United States since the agreement was launched a decade ago, according to a new independent auditor’s report.
Since it was launched in 2012, the voluntary agreement has saved consumers almost $15 billion and prevented nearly 78 million metric tons of CO2 emissions, the equivalent of removing approximately 17.5 million cars from the road for a year. A major driver of savings under the program is a transition from traditional digital video recorders (DVRs) that include hard drives to non-DVR Internet Protocol (IP) devices. These IP devices represented nearly two-thirds of all purchases in 2022 and on average use only 30 kW hours per year, compared to an annual average of 267 kWh for DVRs in 2012 when the agreement began.
“The voluntary agreement initiative has helped to lead not only to significant improvements in the energy efficiency of set-top boxes, but has also promoted even more energy efficient alternatives such as cloud recording and streaming services that enable customers to watch video with fewer, leaner, or even no service-provider equipment in their homes,” said Rick Chessen, senior vice president, law & regulatory policy, NCTA.
“The ten-year anniversary of the set-top box agreement provides an opportunity to reflect on the enduring ability of a voluntary program to deliver impressive energy savings even as the market and technology has rapidly evolved,” said Doug Johnson, vice president of emerging technology, CTA.
Participants in the agreement include major pay-tv providers (Altice USA, AT&T/DIRECTV, Charter, Comcast, Cox, DISH, Frontier, and Verizon), major manufacturers (CommScope, Sagemcom, and VANTIVA (formerly Technicolor), energy-efficiency advocates (the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy and the Natural Resources Defense Council), and supporting organizations (Consumer Technology Association, NCTA – The Internet & Television Association, and CableLabs).
To learn more about the industry’s voluntary agreements and energy efficiency efforts, visit www.energy-efficiency.us.