Cable Boxes Are the 2nd Biggest Energy Users In Many Homes 394
SpzToid (869795) writes 224 million U.S. cable TV set-top boxes combined consume as much electricity as produced by four giant nuclear reactors, running around the clock. They have become the biggest single energy user in many homes, apart from air conditioning. Cheryl Williamsen, a Los Alamitos architect, has three of the boxes leased from her cable provider in her home, but she had no idea how much power they consumed until recently, when she saw a rating on the back for as much as 500 watts — about the same as a washing machine. A typical set-top cable box with a digital recorder can consume as much as 35 watts of power, costing about $8 a month for a typical Southern California consumer. And the devices use nearly as much power turned off as they do when they are turned on. The article outlines a voluntary industry agreement that should make a dent in this power consumption (it "calls for a power reduction in the range of 10% to 45% by 2017"), but makes the point that much larger gains are possible: "Energy experts say the boxes could be just as efficient as smartphones, laptop computers or other electronic devices that use a fraction of the power thanks to microprocessors and other technology that conserves electricity. Ideally, they say, these boxes could be put into a deep sleep mode when turned off, cutting consumption to a few watts. At that rate, a box could cost less than $1 a month for power, depending on how much it is used."
they get hot too (Score:5, Informative)
even when they are off. at least the older Scientific Atlanta ones did. time warner cable in NYC has new Cisco and Motorola ones that are a lot more efficient and don't get nearly as hot
Re:Not true (Score:5, Informative)
But not running continuosly.
Number two consumer of electric power: Refrigerator. HUNDREDS OF WATTS
But not running continuously, either.
Cable boxes don't come in number two and they don't consume 35 watts.
Actually, lousy designs will happily guzzle 35W of power while "off", and year-round, that's slightly over 300 kWh. That's a bit more than my refrigerator uses.
How do I know?
Your sample size is one. That doesn't give you any kind of statistical significance.
Re:Meanwhile, in the EU (Score:2, Informative)
its actually enforced else you wont get the CE sticker on your product and your not allowed to sell it in europe.
a example my TV when in standby uses 0.2 and the digital converter is build in so no set top boxes needed.
but there is still the wording trick to get around it call it "deep sleep" etc. instead of standby
How did she get these figures? (Score:4, Informative)
Just measured my old Scientific Atlanta box (that actually looks just like the ones in the article's pictures).
I get 8 Watts while running, 0.9 Watts in standby. It slightly peaks when I switch channels.
500W is the switched outlet capacity (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Why can't you plug into you TV anymore. (Score:4, Informative)
time warner cable in NYC will rent the cable card and adapter for $2.50 a month compared to $10 or more for the cable box
Us AV guys have known this for years. (Score:4, Informative)
Plop a "kill-a-watt" on your cable box and turn it on, note the power used. now hit the "off" button the remote. See how the power use did not drop. That is because "OFF" is simply blanking the screen and turning off the front led's and display.
It's why most pro AV installs will put the cable box if it's not a DVR type, on a power sequencer that the control processor will turn on and off with the system. The drawback is some of the newer cable boxes take forever to boot after power is restored.
Re:Here's an idea... (Score:5, Informative)
Yes, I have a device to turn my antenna for better reception. It's called "my hand".
Americans are always looking for the technological fix. Does anyone really need TV's in every room including the guest bathroom? Just reduce your consumption and try living a little simpler.
Re:Us AV guys have known this for years. (Score:5, Informative)
Putting a cable box on the sequencer is a bad idea. Almost all STBs will lose all of their guide data, which can take hours to repopulate, in addition to taking forever to boot up. Occasionally they will even lose their subscription information if you are out of town/country for a few weeks. I wouldn't recommend it.
Re:What the 500 Watts draw rating means (Score:5, Informative)
Most of the boxes that have a 500 Watt listing on the box is the maximum combined power of the box with a television plugged into it. Those boxes generally go into standby when the TV is turned off.
This is the same way Light Dimmers are rated. A 600 Watt dimmer does not consume 600 Watts, but can handle a 600 Watt chandilier with 6 100 Watt bulbs.
Check the back of the box. Does it include a place to plug in the TV?
Re:huh (Score:4, Informative)
And the USA catches up with where Europe was a decade ago, all because GWB Jr. considered federally mandated energy efficiency standards as unAmerican.
How ridiculous (Score:5, Informative)
Did anybody actually *think* before writing this article?
A cable box drawing "500 watts" would be cherry-red hot.
The rating of "500 watts" on the back is for cable boxes that have an accessory AC outlet, and the rating means that you can plug in a TV or whatnot rated at up to 500 watts. The cable box itself draws a whole lot less, like 15 watts, even less for the newer ones.