Why: Copious heat energy generated ( wasted ?) by my TV CABLE BOXES

[Mike_V]

I realize my two rented 'cable boxes' are now old fashioned but easy to use compared to streaming. Click, click = ON
Yes after these many long years are there still no energy efficient devices.
I appreciate the heat in the winter, it warms the whole room but truly a waste of electricity.

 

[WattsUpDude]

Yup I remember those. If it has a DVR, it likely has a spinning hard drive as well as an inefficient processor.

 

[tomjasz]

The bastards here provide a cable box that if shut down avoiding parasitic power draw messes with setting forcing a frustrating reset of settings. The settings interface hasn’t improved in decades.

 

[billmeek]

Cable companies have little incentive to reduce the power usage of the cable boxes / DVRs. They buy massive numbers of boxes and instead focus on the cost per unit. Users expect instant on which in reality means always on rather than using a sleep mode. Some of the combo DVR unit use more power than a refrigerator.

https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/settopboxes.pdf

 

[6zfshdb]

Newer electronic equipment produces less heat but most of these devices have multiple LED lights. I know they don't draw much power individually, perhaps 1/4 to 1/2 watt each, but they all add up.

When I walk into my study at night, between the computers, modems. printer, etc. it looks like a string of Christmas lights! Just for the heck of it, I counted all the LED's in the house and calculated it's the equivalent of leaving a 100 watt incandescent light bulb on 24 / 7!

 

[WattsUpDude]

Newer electronic equipment produces less heat but most of these devices have multiple LED lights. I know they don't draw much power individually, perhaps 1/4 to 1/2 watt each, but they all add up.

When I walk into my study at night, between the computers, modems. printer, etc. it looks like a string of Christmas lights! Just for the heck of it, I counted all the LED's in the house and calculated it's the equivalent of leaving a 100 watt incandescent light bulb on 24 / 7!

Haha! I place stickers on all the LEDs in our bedrooms. All the other stuff I leave alone. They work as a night light for the occasional night time bathroom trip.

 

[billmeek]

I know they don't draw much power individually, perhaps 1/4 to 1/2 watt each

Most LEDs used for indicators run between .06 to .09 watts. The average SMT LED is around .07 watts. Remember that a flashing LED draws even less.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

My (new) Internet WiFi modem/router releases a lot of heat and it is not because of the LED. I wonder what kind of obsolete technology has been put there.

 

[mschwett]

if you really care about this, ditch the cable box and get a modern, well designed streaming box made by someone who gives a s*it! a 4th gen apple tv uses 2.4 watts while streaming. 2 watts while not streaming but in use. your TV likely uses 50 times as much.