Set Top Boxes
SETTING A NEW PVR STANDARD
Set top boxes, the "PVR" devices we rent or purchase and connect to our TVs to receive signals from our TV service provider, can use $25 or more per year in electricity to power them.
But now there's an energy-efficient alternative. TELUS has committed to an ENERGY STAR® set top box, one that uses less than half the electricity of the average non-ENERGY STAR box.
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WHAT ARE SET TOP BOXES? WHY ARE THEY SO HUNGRY?A set top box, more commonly known as a Personal Video Recorder (PVR), is the box you rent or purchase and connect to your television in order to receive signals from your television service provider. Most new set top boxes feature PVR capability and function as 24/7, always-on components designed to allow you to schedule the recording of TV programs hours, days and weeks in advance of the content airing on TV. And that always-on capability costs you in standby energy use. WHAT STANDBY ENERGY USE COSTS YOUAbout 70% of the energy consumption of a PVR goes to standby energy use. That's about 190 kWh/yr – or about $18 a year – based on a non-ENERGY STAR High-Definition PVR set top box. An average HD PVR set top box consumes about 270 kWh/year. That’s about $25 a year to operate just one device in your home. And if you have two or three of them, the cost can be significant. ABOUT ENERGY STAR, POWER SMART & TELUSENERGY STAR qualified set-top boxes are at least 30 per cent more efficient than conventional models, and the ENERGY STAR model TELUS has chosen for the B.C. market is at least 50% more efficient than conventional models. Set-top box energy consumption is measured and recorded in various power modes (active, idle and off) to determine how much energy the box uses. A box will earn the ENERGY STAR label if it meets or is below the allowable energy consumption. Through Power Smart, BC Hydro is the first utility in Canada to promote ENERGY STAR set top boxes. WHAT YOU CAN DOMost set-top boxes and cable boxes are given to consumers as part of their contract with a service provider, rather than sold independently at retail stores. Power Smart encourages you to choose an ENERGY STAR service provider. When purchasing a set top box, look for the ENERGY STAR label in a retailer store. WHO'S ON BOARDSo far, TELUS is the only major ENERGY STAR service provider in B.C. and offers set-top boxes that meet the ENERGY STAR qualification. Get information about TELUS Optik TV. SET TOP BOX RECYCLINGReturn-It Electronics locations accept set-top boxes.
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TELUS has taken the lead in Western Canada for energy-efficient set-top boxes. |
Last Modified: Nov 1, 2011
