National Energy Use of Consumer Electronics in 1999

The major consumer electronics in U.S. homes accounted for nearly 7% of U.S. residential electricity consumption in 1999. We attribute more than half of this figure (3.6%) to televisions, videocassette recorders, and DVD players, and nearly one-third (1.8%) to audio products. Set-top boxes currently account for a relatively small fraction of residential electricity use (0.7%), but we expect this end-use to grow quickly with the proliferation of digital set-top boxes, which currently use 40% more energy per unit than the average TV set. In all, these consumer electronics plus telephony products consumed 75 TWh in the U.S. in 1999, half of which was consumed while the products were not in use. This energy use is expected to grow as products with new or advanced functionality hit the market.