Denver, CO, June 22, 2016 – Today, the Environmental Leader, a leading daily trade publication covering energy, environmental and sustainability news, presented its Project of the Year award to the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)TM and National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) for their Voluntary Agreement to increase the energy efficiency of set-top boxes. In announcing the award, a panel of distinguished judges cited the initiative’s success in establishing a collaborative effort that has significantly reduced the industry’s impact on the environment while saving consumers more than $1 billion in electricity costs and avoiding millions of tons of CO2 emissions.
“On behalf of CTA and our members, we are truly honored to receive Environmental Leader’s influential Project of the Year award,” said Doug Johnson, vice president of technology policy, Consumer Technology Association. “This award highlights the effectiveness of voluntary, private sector-driven agreements to provide comprehensive energy and cost savings to consumers and the country. Reducing our energy consumption by innovating more efficient technology is one of our industry’s most important goals, and we take pride in the great strides we have made.”
“In order to make industry-wide environmental advances, we must work together,” said Neal Goldberg, NCTA General Counsel. “This partnership between energy efficiency advocates and device manufacturers is the most effective means to keep the goals of energy efficiency programs, consumer choice, and innovation completely aligned. The energy and cost savings recognized by this award show how strongly the cable industry is working towards improving the overall consumer experience.”
The 2012 set-top box Voluntary Agreement is a collaboration among the pay-TV industry, consumer tech manufacturers and energy efficiency advocates to improve the energy efficiency of set-top boxes and decrease energy costs for consumers. A 2015 independent audit determined the Voluntary Agreement saved consumers more than $500 million in energy costs and avoided nearly three million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions during its first two years. When compared to national energy-use projections without the agreement, American consumers saved more than $1 billion in energy bills and avoided six million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) over two years.
The winners of the third annual Environmental Leader Product & Project Awards were announced at the Environmental Leader 2016 Conference in Denver, CO. Award recipients were chosen based on their exemplary contribution to energy and environmental efforts, innovation, efficiency and reliability.
For a more comprehensive look at the consumer tech industry’s efforts to increase energy efficiency, visit CTA.tech/Energy. CTA also supports consumer education on energy efficiency via the website GreengerGadgets.org, where consumers can calculate their approximate home energy usage and find tips to help reduce their energy costs.