TRENDS
 

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Home Energy Magazine Online November/December 1998

TRENDS

Audio/Visual Goes 1-Watt

Audio equipment and Digital Video Disks (DVDs) must now reduce the watts they use when turned off to receive Energy Star labels. Finalized Phase 1 Energy Star levels have been set for both types of equipment. After four years, the required levels drop to 1 watt. Here are the numbers:
Equipment Phase 1 Phase 2
Audio equipment, including recievers, boom boxes, etc. 2W 1W
DVDx 3W 1W

These Energy Star levels will result in significant energy savings because this equipment has among the highest standby losses found by researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and elsewhere. Current mini-audio systems "leak" electricity at anywhere from 1W to more than 20W (the median is about 9W). Some units were found to use nearly as much power when switched "off" than when on! Current DVDs typically consume 4W.

Establishing a low standby loss for DVDs is important because electronics manufacturers expect that DVDs will be the next mass-selling appliance. For further information about standby losses, go to http://eetd.lbl.gov/leaking.

--Alan Meier


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