Today's
home
electronics
are
much
more
energy
efficient
than
they
were
years
ago,
but
because
households
are
stuffed
with
so
many
gadgets
used
more
often,
energy
conservation
recommendations
for
home
electronics
won't
go
away.
Landmark
research
has
found
that
the
number
of
consumer
electronics
products
per
household
has
doubled
since
1997,
with
televisions
and
personal
computers
leading
the
way.
Along
with
televisions,
desktop
computers
and
their
monitors,
video
recorders
and
cable
and
satellite
set
top
boxes
lead
the
way
in
terms
of
frequency
of
use,
according
to
the
Consumer
Electronics
Association's
(CEA)
"Energy
Consumption
by
Consumer
Electronics
in
U.S.
Residences".
Better
efficiency
is
finding
its
way
into
the
largely
computerized
gadgets.
"Standby
power
consumption
has
decreased
in
large
part
due
to
the
success
of
voluntary
government-industry
programs
such
as
Energy
Star
coupled
with
technological
innovation,"
said
Douglas
Johnson,
CEA's
senior
director
of
technology
policy.
Even
with
greater
efficiency,
ever
larger
big-screen
televisions,
as
well
as
computers
and
video
game
boxes,
with
greater
processing
power,
require
more
juice
than
the
same
items
with
smaller
screens
and
less
processing
power.
"You
still
need
to
be
responsible
and
energy
conscious.
It
just
makes
good
sense,"
said
Kristina
Taylor,
a
CEA
spokeswoman.
The
study
examined
the
energy
use
of
16
product
categories,
everything
from
answering
machines
to
video
cassette
recorders
and
included
home
theater
systems,
cordless
telephones,
compact
stereo
systems
and
notebook
computers,
along
with
analog
televisions,
computers
and
DVD
players
and
recorders.
CEA
found
that
consumer
electronics
consume
11
percent
of
residential
electricity
and
three
product
categories
account
for
approximately
two-thirds
of
consumer
electronics
residential
energy
consumption
--
analog
televisions,
desktop
personal
computers,
and
set-top
boxes
for
cable
and
satellite
services.
To
help
tame
the
power
grab
CEA's
new
MyGreenElectronics,
helps
consumers
choose
and
use
electronics
with
energy
conservation
in
mind.
"Until
now,
energy
consumption
discussions
have
been
largely
informed
by
limited
and
incomplete
data
from
the
late
1990's.
Now,
up-to-date
data
is
available
to
|
 |
|
|
support
energy
efficiency
initiatives,
guide
policy
decisions
and
properly
characterize
the
role
of
consumer
electronics
in
household
energy
consumption,"
Johnson
said.
CEA
advises:
Look
for
the
Energy
Star®
label.
It
can
help
you
identify
products
that
use
less
energy.
Check
out
Energy
Star’s
website
for
a
searchable
database
of
Energy
Star
products.
Unplug
mobile
phone
or
PDA
chargers
when
batteries
are
fully
charged
or
when
the
chargers
are
not
in
use.
When
available,
use
personal
and
laptop
computers'
power
management
features
to
control
energy
consumption.
Check
owners'
manuals
to
make
sure
you're
taking
full
advantage
of
any
energy-conservation
capabilities
of
your
electronic
equipment.
When
you're
finished
watching
a
movie
or
playing
a
video
game,
don't
forget
to
turn
off
your
DVD
player
or
video
game
console
as
well
as
the
television
or
monitor.
"If
you
are
done
watching
the
television
don't
leave
the
DVD
player
on
for
two
weeks,"
said
Taylor.
Plug
electronics,
such
as
TVs,
DVD
players
and
audio
systems,
into
power
strips,
and
turn
the
power
strips
off
when
the
equipment
is
not
in
use
especially
for
long
periods
of
time.
Be
sure
to
read
the
manual
first
to
make
sure
you
won't
affect
the
product.
(For
example,
TVs
which
need
to
remain
plugged
in
so
that
they
can
download
program
guides.)
"This
won't
work
with
TiVo
of
course.
Use
power
strips
that
let
you
turn
off
parts
of
the
strip
for
technology
that
doesn't
require
standby
modes,"
said
Taylor.
Investigate
home-networking
and
automation
products
and
services
that
let
you
control
heating,
lighting
and
cooling
from
a
central
location
in
the
home.
When
in
the
market
for
home
office
products,
consider
multifunction
units
combining,
say
printing,
copying,
scanning
and
faxing,
instead
of a
single
device
for
each
function.
Use
technology
to
save
money.
For
example,
save
fuel
by
shopping
and
banking
from
home
on
your
computer.
Appeal
to
your
employer
in
the
name
of
conservation
and
ask
to
work
from
home
at
least
part
of
the
time
to
cut
your
commute.
Ask
your
employer
about
working
from
home
or a
satellite
business
location
to
cut
your
commute.
|
