Study: HD TV Boxes and DVRs are “Energy Vampires”

Wednesday, 15 June 2011 | by Pat's Picks

There’s a pretty stunning power usage calculation in USA Today this morning. You know those TV set-top boxes? Well, according to a new study, two cable boxes use about the same amount of energy needed to power an Energystar refrigerator. The typical cable box or satellite receiver uses 171 kilowatt hours of power per year. More shocking still is that two-thirds of that energy (the paper says the “equivalent annual energy output of six coal-burning power plants”) is used even when the box is switched off. The study also praised cellphone companies for making models that conserve energy while not in use, suggesting they be used as an example to emulate.

Click here for full results from the study, funded by the Natural Resources Defense Council