United States. Digital video recorders, also known as DVRs, are among the recording equipment that uses the most energy for their operation in the North American country. These systems cost their consumers $3 billion in energy.
According to the latest study by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), these systems spend $1 billion to operate when in active use and an additional $2 billion while idle.
According to the NRDC study: "The reduction of the national energy consumption of converters", the use of these devices is equivalent to the energy issued by six coal plants (500 MW), since despite being turned off they continue to operate at full power.
High definition cable DVRs (HD-DVRs) are the highest consumption devices, spending much more annually than a typical flat screen to which they are connected and spending 40% more than their counterpart among basic converters.
Domestic electricity consumption by converters is on the rise as more users switch from basic converters to DVRs, as these offer a convenient way to record and return parts of an episode. A typical home, with a DVR and a basic converter, has almost the same electricity usage per year as a new refrigerator.
However, significant energy savings can be achieved by having converters that go into a low-power mode when not in operation. According to NRDC, "this could be achieved in the U.S. if suppliers work with manufacturers to develop and deploy more energy-efficient devices, and consumers ask their supplier to make the supply compliant with Energy Star version 4.0."
