After reading the USA Today article about the massive use of energy the Cable TV set top boxes use, I am unplugging the boxes not in use. It might make sense to put our main box on a timer since it’s only used a few hours a day? (Anyone know?) It is time for US cable companies to step up and create equipment that supports the environment and the health of all living things.
The study found that today’s average new cable high-definition digital video recorders (HD-DVR) use more than half the energy of an average new refrigerator and more than an average new flat panel TV. Two-thirds of their total energy consumption – the equivalent annual energy output of six coal-burning power plants – occurs when they’re not in use.
In contrast, the study says cellphones are able to use extremely low levels of power when not in use, primarily to preserve battery life. It says similar innovations are beginning to appear in Sky Broadcasting’s set-top boxes in Europe and it urges pay-TV service providers in the U.S. such as Comcast, Time Warner, DirecTV, Dish Network, Verizon and AT&T to do the same. It also encourages consumers to ask providers to supply them with boxes that meet ENERGY STAR Version 4.0.
Excerpts courtesy of NRDC http://usat.ly/m2GTq0
Nature's Crusaders 
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