Goverment pushes for greener digital TV

Millions of energy-wasting products are flooding through high street retailers, says Defra

The UK government is urging digital TV broadcasters, manufacturers and retailers not to promote or sell set-top boxes that waste energy.

Environment Minister Elliot Morley is writing to all the major digital TV broadcasters, service providers and retailers asking them to sign up to an EU code of conduct that sets energy efficiency standards for digital TV equipment.

The code, already supported by BSkyB, could save UK consumers millions of pounds on electricity bills as well as benefiting the environment, according to Morley.

Appliances such as TVs, computers and hi-fi left on standby waste more than £740m worth of energy a year and cause more than four million tonnes of extra carbon emissions, adding to the problem of climate change.

"We have seen a dramatic increase in the sale of digital TV equipment such as set-top boxes, and millions of energy-wasting products are flooding through high street retailers," said Morley.

"Consumer demand for new equipment is set to continue as the nation switches to digital TV. With a boom in demand, however, comes a risk of greater energy consumption. We could end up wasting enough electricity to power 850,000 homes a year."

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs estimates that there could be 80 million set-top boxes in the UK by 2010.