The Facts about DVRs and Energy Consumption :
(An update)
There has been a lot of hype about the energy consumption of DVR units provided by cable and satellite television companies. Sensational headlines scream that DVRs are destroying your budget and melting the glaciers. These are quickly followed by sarcastic rebuttals and disparaging comparisons to Al Gore.
So what is the real deal? How much do these things consume? Are they evil vampires or just the latest thing for silly people to be paranoid about?
1) They’re Like Light Bulbs…
The deal is this: Data shows that set-top boxes consume energy at about the rate of your average incandescent light-bulb, between 30 and 50 watts.
By contrast, articles like the one I’ve cited claim that cable and satellite DVRs use as much power as a refrigerator or a/c unit.
So there’s nothing to it, right? Fridges and a/c units obviously use more power than that.
2) DVRs That Never Shut Off
DVRs use much less energy than refrigerators or a/c units do when their compressors are running. According to a table from GE, a refrigerator/freezer uses about 450W, and a window unit a/c approximately 1000W.
The problem is that unlike these appliances DVRs never turn off. Even when they are “off” they consume nearly as much power as they do when on. By contrast, refrigerators and a/c units do not run their compressors 24 hours a day.
Now, DVRs need be ‘on’ enough to maintain a connection with the service provider and to receive software updates; it would be impractical to have them completely power down when they are not being used.
3) How to Really Compare DVRs with Refrigerators
At 40W, DVRs obviously don’t consume energy nearly as quickly as a fridge (450W) or a/c unit (1000W) when it is running its compressor. But fridges and a/c units turn on and off as regulated by a timer or thermostat, while DVRs are constantly on. (NOTE: The most modern and energy efficient refrigerators have consumption rates below 150W even when the compressor is running, but most homes are not yet equipped with them. )
4) What to Take Away From This?
The alarmists are clearly exaggerating this issue.
But their sarcastic critics are severely underestimating it.
If your concern is your energy bill, it’s probably not that big of a deal. Having a DVR will cost you something on the order of a few tens of dollars per year, depending on your energy rates.
However, if your concern is the economic and environmental effects of the overall energy consumption of millions of consumers, it is a big deal, and improving the efficiency of DVRs is certainly worth promoting.
More importantly, however, neither side has talked about what’s really shocking about all of this: keeping a 40W light bulb burning all the time is like having a second refrigerator in your house!
!! We Love Techno !!
(An update)
There has been a lot of hype about the energy consumption of DVR units provided by cable and satellite television companies. Sensational headlines scream that DVRs are destroying your budget and melting the glaciers. These are quickly followed by sarcastic rebuttals and disparaging comparisons to Al Gore.
So what is the real deal? How much do these things consume? Are they evil vampires or just the latest thing for silly people to be paranoid about?
1) They’re Like Light Bulbs…
The deal is this: Data shows that set-top boxes consume energy at about the rate of your average incandescent light-bulb, between 30 and 50 watts.
By contrast, articles like the one I’ve cited claim that cable and satellite DVRs use as much power as a refrigerator or a/c unit.
So there’s nothing to it, right? Fridges and a/c units obviously use more power than that.
2) DVRs That Never Shut Off
DVRs use much less energy than refrigerators or a/c units do when their compressors are running. According to a table from GE, a refrigerator/freezer uses about 450W, and a window unit a/c approximately 1000W.
The problem is that unlike these appliances DVRs never turn off. Even when they are “off” they consume nearly as much power as they do when on. By contrast, refrigerators and a/c units do not run their compressors 24 hours a day.
Now, DVRs need be ‘on’ enough to maintain a connection with the service provider and to receive software updates; it would be impractical to have them completely power down when they are not being used.
3) How to Really Compare DVRs with Refrigerators
At 40W, DVRs obviously don’t consume energy nearly as quickly as a fridge (450W) or a/c unit (1000W) when it is running its compressor. But fridges and a/c units turn on and off as regulated by a timer or thermostat, while DVRs are constantly on. (NOTE: The most modern and energy efficient refrigerators have consumption rates below 150W even when the compressor is running, but most homes are not yet equipped with them. )
4) What to Take Away From This?
The alarmists are clearly exaggerating this issue.
But their sarcastic critics are severely underestimating it.
If your concern is your energy bill, it’s probably not that big of a deal. Having a DVR will cost you something on the order of a few tens of dollars per year, depending on your energy rates.
However, if your concern is the economic and environmental effects of the overall energy consumption of millions of consumers, it is a big deal, and improving the efficiency of DVRs is certainly worth promoting.
More importantly, however, neither side has talked about what’s really shocking about all of this: keeping a 40W light bulb burning all the time is like having a second refrigerator in your house!
!! We Love Techno !!
No comments:
Post a Comment