While
consumers aren’t wishing for higher utility bills this holiday season, that’s
what they might get if electronic items are on their wish lists. Consumer electronic products are responsible
for approximately 15 percent of household electricity use – enough to make a
real impact on energy bills. If you don’t want to be the bearer of added
energy costs this holiday season, Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s energy
efficiency and renewable energy initiative, recommends looking for the ENERGY
STAR® when purchasing electronics so you can be sure you are getting the
most efficient models on the market.
According to Bobbi Fey from Focus on Energy, earning the ENERGY STAR means a product meets strict energy
efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the
Department of Energy. The ENERGY STAR helps consumers identify products
that operate on a fraction of the energy required by their standard-model
counterparts. This reduction in
energy consumption results in lower utility bills and fewer negative impacts on
Wisconsin’s air, water and land.
“ENERGY STAR qualified products have all the same features
as non-qualified models; however, they are manufactured to operate more
efficiently, meaning they use less energy to perform the same functions,” explained
Fey. “In essence, it’s really two
gifts in one since the energy savings will be apparent with every use.”
Understanding Electronics
Unbeknownst
to many consumers, more than 75 percent of the
electricity used by home electronic equipment is consumed when the products are
turned off; this is called phantom load. The truth is when products are turned
"off," they are really just on standby mode, using electricity to
power features like clocks, remote controls and channel/station memory. Turning
your TV, stereo, computer and other electronics off when you're not using them
is the first step to saving energy. The next step is to upgrade to ENERGY STAR
qualified models. They address phantom load by using up to 60 percent less
energy than conventional equipment when turned off.
Here are additional facts about some of the more popular
electronic items found in U.S. households:
TVs
- There are about 275 million
TVs currently in use in the U.S., consuming over 50 billion kilowatt-hours
(kWh) of energy each
year — or 4 percent of all households' electricity use. This is enough
electricity to power all the homes in the state of New York for an entire year.
- You can find the ENERGY STAR on everything from
standard TVs, to HD-ready TVs, to the largest flat-screen plasma TVs.
- When purchasing a new flat panel TV, Focus recommends
an LCD model over plasma because they are more energy efficient.
- Starting in November 2008, a new, much more stringent ENERGY STAR specification
for TVs went into effect that include requirements for both standby and active
modes. TVs that earn the ENERGY STAR label under these requirements will be up
to 30 percent more efficient than non-qualified models.
DVD Players
- When they’re off, ENERGY STAR
qualified DVD products use as little as one-quarter of the energy used by
standard models.
- ENERGY STAR qualified DVD
players come with all the latest features, including progressive scan.
Cordless Phones
- Cordless phones, answering
machines and combination units that have earned the ENERGY STAR perform much
more efficiently than conventional units and use about one-third of the energy.
- These products use less energy
by incorporating improved energy performance features such as switch-mode power
supplies and “smart” chargers.
Making an Energy Efficient Conversion
While the holidays are just around the corner, so is another
big date – Feb. 17, 2009 – when all TV stations will begin broadcasting in
digital signals instead of analog.
For consumers who receive over-the-air TV, non cable or satellite TV
subscribers, a DTA converter box or digital TV will be needed in order to watch
TV. There are many factors to
consider when purchasing a DTA or digital TV, one of which is energy
efficiency. Once again, looking
for the ENERGY STAR can amount to long-term savings.
DTAs are designed to convert digital TV broadcast signals to
analog signals. For people who
don’t want to buy a new digital TV set or subscribe to cable or satellite TV,
DTAs are the only option for receiving television broadcasts. Unfortunately, some estimates indicate
the use of DTAs may cost Americans $270 million per year in higher electricity
bills.
According to Fey, there are several different types of DTAs
to choose from, but they are not all created equal – or equally energy
efficient. Because of this,
consumers should remember there are two price tags when buying electronic
equipment, the purchase price and the ongoing operation costs, which can add up
over time. ENERGY STAR qualified
DTAs will operate using a fraction of the energy compared to DTAs currently
available on the global market, saving consumers money on energy bills. If all DTAs met ENERGY STAR
specifications, Americans could save 13 billion kWh and more than $1 billion in
energy costs and the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions would be equivalent
to those of one million cars.
