Across the US, TV set-top boxes and home Internet devices such as modems and routers are doing more than powering connectivity – they’re driving major improvements in energy efficiency and saving consumers billions of dollars.

Independent reports from D+R International show measurable results in cutting energy consumption, lowering emissions, and reducing utility costs for millions of households.

The data from the new reports underscore the impact of these ongoing efforts:

• National energy use for set-top boxes has dropped nearly 75 per cent, from 32 terawatt-hours in 2012 to 8.6 terawatt-hours in 2024.
• The average energy use of new home broadband devices has declined by 89 per cent, even as Internet speeds have rapidly increased.
• Since the programmes began, consumers have saved an estimated $22 billion (€18.9bn) in electricity costs and avoided 109 million metric tons of CO₂ emissions.
• In 2024 alone, consumers saved $3.85 billion on energy bills and avoided 15.7 million metric tons of CO₂ emissions.

For more than a decade, the nation’s Internet, cable, satellite, and telco service providers and device manufacturers have worked together through two voluntary agreements designed to reduce the energy used by home devices.

• Set-Top Box (STB) Voluntary Agreement – launched in 2012, covers the set-top boxes that consumers obtain from cable, satellite, or telephone companies that service more than 90 per cent of US pay-TV households.
• Small Network Equipment (SNE) Voluntary Agreement – launched in 2015, covers the modems, routers, and Wi-Fi extenders that connect homes to broadband.

Supported by NCTA, CableLabs, and the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), these programmes set energy-efficiency standards for the equipment that keeps Americans connected—from set-top boxes to modems and routers.

Both programmes have been extended through 2028 and have been expanded to include fixed wireless access (FWA) technology, with T-Mobile joining the initiative alongside the nation’s largest Internet and video providers.

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Categories: Articles, Broadband, Business, Equipment, Equipment, Home Network, In Home, Regulation, Research, Standards, STB

Tags: broadband, STB, usa