Study: TV set-top boxes substantial drain on home energy

Homeowners with one or more set-top boxes - also known as cable boxes - may want to consider reducing or eliminating the number of devices they have in their homes, as a new study from the National Resources Defense Council states they use a considerable amount of energy.

In 2010, the NRDC says 160 million set-top boxes used $3 billion of electricity. Additionally, the report found the devices aren't in use two-thirds of the time but still use electricity. This amount of electricity wasted is more than Maryland uses in an entire year.

One energy expert told the New York Times the devices prevent home energy savings for millions of Americans. However, he thinks it is possible for manufacturers of set-top boxes to make them more energy-efficient.

"People in the energy-efficiency community worry a lot about these boxes, since they will make it more difficult to lower home energy use," John Wilson, who works with the San Francisco-based Energy Foundation, told the newspaper. "Companies say it can't be done or it's too expensive. But in my experience, neither one is true. It can be done, and it often doesn't cost much, if anything."

Alan Meier, a Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory scientist, shared a similar view to Wilson, telling the paper U.S. cable box manufacturers don't place energy efficiency high on their priorities.

Several European countries already have energy-saving set-top boxes, according to the Times, which automatically go into standby mode to conserve electricity when not being used. Additionally, many models go into a "deep sleep" mode, the paper says, which reduces their energy consumption by roughly 95 percent when the device is active.

The NRDC states there are a variety of ways for producers of set-top boxes and cable companies to lower the amount of energy required for the devices to run.

One recommendation from the council is for producers to create a set-top box that can control all televisions in a home through more efficient designs. Also, the NRDC suggests reducing the amount of power necessary for the boxes to run while not in use.

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