Technology Treading Lightly : EPEAT

The Rise of AV Power and Green TV

markaggar — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 21:41:00 GMT

When I first moved to the United States from England some fourteen years ago, my TV and movie viewing experience consisted of a 21" standard definition TV (with cable!), a VCR and, if I could be bothered to turn it on, a stereo amplifier that was connected to the TV.

How times have changed. Today, my wife and I enjoy High Definition (HD) video on a 52" LCD TV, with video sources from a Comcast dual tuner HD DVR, XBOX 360 Media Center Extender and a Blu Ray player. Oh, and don't forget the AV Receiver that is capable of blasting 7.1x140 watt channels in Dolby TruHD.

Sounds pretty awesome, right? Compared to my old setup it certainly is. However, while many of the components are Energy Star-rated, the dark side is that it's consuming quite a bit of power as well. But maybe not as much as you think.

TV Power

Lets start with the TV. The good news is the TV I'm using (a Samsung LN52A850) is an Energy Star-rated LCD model that only uses about 170 watts of power in "eco power" mode. Equivalent sized plasma TVs can consume twice that or more. Fortunately, most new TVs consume virtually no power (less than a watt) when in standby mode, although I've seen some rather egregious cases of TVs consuming more than 70W in standby. CNet's reviews with their handy 'juice box' feature is a useful resource when evaluating TV power. At CES 2009, manufacturers were touting their green credentials and showing off TVs that used even less power, including a unit from Sony that turns itself off if no-one is in the room.

Now when I say that my TV 'only' uses 170W, we need to compare to where TVs used to be. To take just one data point, my 10+ year old 27" CRT TV pulls about 110W when powered on, which might sound better, but it also uses about 20W when in standby. This can really add up. If both TVs are on 5 hours a day and in standby for the rest, then my LCD would use about 850 watt hours, whereas my old TV would use about 930 watt hours! Over a year at 10 cents a kWh, that equates to about $31 and $35 respectively. While the savings are not very compelling in order to make a case to your spouse for new TV, you could save 380 watt hours a day by using a power strip to cut power to the CRT TV when you're not watching it. However, this sometimes isn't very convenient (that's what remote controls are for, right?), it takes a while to get into the habit of turning off the power strip, and many of the late generation CRT TVs will enter their startup mode every time it is turned on after power is removed.

Cable box vs Media Center vs Media Center Extenders

Now onto cable. Back in the old days, you used to just hook the cable directly to the TV which didn't consume any additional power. That all changed with the advent of 'digital' cable, and more recently with digital video recorders (DVRs). The Comcast HD DVR (Motorola 6412) apparently uses over 40W all of the time whether it's on or in 'standby'. This equates to 350 kWh used in one year, about half the average home's monthly power usage (and about $35). A Windows Vista Media Center PC on the other hand will use a little more, say about 75W when it is on, but its standby mode will only consume about 3W. Assuming it's on for 10 hours a day (5 hours watching and 5 hours recording), that's about 290 kWhs per year, 60 kWhs less than the cable box.

If you're using a Media Center Extender such as an XBOX 360, then the math can get a little tricky. The worse case scenario is when your Media Center PC records a program and then you watch it later. This means the PC is on to record the program and then both the PC and the XBOX 360 are on to watch it. The current generation of XBOX uses about 119 watts in media center, so to watch a program that was recorded earlier, this can add up to over 269 watts, and that's not including the TV or the amplifier power. In my setup, watching an episode of Heroes on via the XBOX extender and audio through my AV receiver uses over 700 watts, vs 400w using the Comcast DVR. But you can have a lot more storage for HD content on the Media Center PC, plus you have access to your shows on multiple TVs throughout the house (with additional extenders) and can make the shows portable (very handy for when you are on vacation with young children).

Wake-on-LAN

The silver lining on using an XBOX 360 as a media center extender is that the 360 can wake your sleeping PC when you want to watch media via the extender functionality. You can do this by enabling wake-on-LAN "magic packet" functionality on the network card of the PC. Instructions on how to do this are available here. When the media center extender software is started on the XBOX, the XBOX 360 automatically sends a wake-on-LAN "magic packet" to wake the sleeping PC. This way your PC only has to be on when you are using it (locally or remotely) or when it is recording a program. Even if the XBOX displays a message that it cannot connect, when the PC is ready the XBOX will connect without any further user intervention. It's fairly family-proof - my wife uses it all the time.

AV Receivers

So what about the AV receiver? I just replaced my 7 year old Sony receiver to a new Onkyo TX-SR876 (also Energy Star rated), principally so I could utilize HDMI for my components (the old receiver is now downstairs). The receiver is very efficient when in standby (less than 1W) and doesn't come on automatically after a power outage like my old Sony receiver does!

The rub with AV receivers is that if you connect your components via HDMI to the receiver (and connect the TV to the receiver), you are going to be forced to watch your components with the receiver turned on. Given that the receiver and subwoofer use a fair bit of energy while on, I wanted to have the option of saving energy while watching TV shows that didn't justify the added energy cost of surround sound. As a compromise I have connected the cable box and the XBOX 360 directly to the TV (utilizing all three of the rear HDMI inputs), and connected digital audio (coax or optical) from these components to the receiver. Only the Blu-ray player is connected directly to the receiver. While this works pretty well with an advanced remote control (see below), this isn't particularly easy and kind of undermines one of the main value propositions of HDMI - i.e. only needing one cable.

Green TV

To enable ease of use, I have a different 'activities' programmed on my Harmony Remote to watch TV and use the XBOX - three with the receiver on and three "green" activities that utilize the only the TV Speakers (and leave the receiver off). I didn't have this option with my old TV and receiver, so ironically this new equipment allows me to use it less and save energy. (For the record, while I generally like my remote, next time I would choose something like the Harmony 890 for its RF capabilities - getting "line of sight" to components can be difficult, and frankly the touchscreen on the Harmony One isn't ideal - I think hard buttons are probably better).

As it happens, both my TV and AV receiver support a new standard called HDMI-CEC. This feature allows you to control the receiver via the TV, so you could just use the TV remote if you wished. I noticed a short disclaimer in the manual that the use of this feature would significantly increase standby power on the receiver. This peaked my interest, and it turns out that they are right - with the feature enabled, it uses about 80W of power on standby, or 700 kWh's a year, about a month's worth of electricity usage. Kudos to Onkyo for pointing that out in the manual, but suffice it to say, that feature will not be enabled in my house!

Also, the Sony Blu-ray player has an option to start-up faster, but at the cost of using more energy on standby (again the Blu-ray player tells you that it is going to use more energy). I haven't measured the energy use of this fast startup mode, but given my previous measurements, it's not something I'm going to be enabling in a hurry.

In Conclusion

So what's the upshot of all of this?

Needless to say this is a mixed bag. It's been clear for quite a long time that our penchant for higher fidelity and personalized entertainment is going to have ramifications for our energy bills. However, if configured optimally these newer devices can use little to no energy when turned off and may actually in aggregate consume less power than older devices. Cable and Satellite companies are hopefully taking note and planning set top boxes that consume near-zero watts when on standby.

Also, while I applaud device makers that are reducing both operational and standby power, there are some worrying signs that these efforts could be quickly undermined by brand new 'user friendly' features such as the aforementioned HDMI-CEC that wipe out any savings. Also, the industry could do more - in particular, "green" AV Receivers that provided a passive HDMI pass-through mode which consumes little-to-no power when active or in standby. This would make it much easier to install and configure systems that allowed families to enjoy hi-fidelity audio when it made sense, vs having the receiver on every time the TV was on, saving lots of energy as a result.

So, how green is your AV experience?

Green IT TechNet Radio Interview

markaggar — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:06:00 GMT

My former colleague, Adam Bogobowicz interviewed me recently on Green IT for TechNet Radio. This is part 1 of a 2 part interview. You can access part 1 of the interview via the following links:

WMA MP3 (Hi bandwidth) MP3 (Low Bandwidth)

(Tip: if you are listening via Windows Media Player, hit CTRL-SHIFT-G and I'll talk at 1.4 times the speed to save you both time and maybe some energy. :-) CTRL-SHIFT-N reverts back to normal speed)

During the interview I talk about PUE, EPEAT, Desktop Power Management and Data Center Best Practices among other things. Coincidentally, our Data Center Operations team announced their vision for next gen data centers, which you can read about on Mike Manos' blog. Look ma, no roof!

Greening your PC

markaggar — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 01:54:00 GMT

I’m often asked what can be done to reduce technology’s impact on the environment. Before I answer that, I usually like to point out that technology can have a net-positive effect by reducing the need for transportation and materials and generally making things more efficient. However, there is a lot of opportunity to reduce the amount of energy that technology consumes while it is operating, and to also support more environmentally-friendly manufacturing and disposal practices. For instance, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council, PC power management such as those built into Vista operating system can save you about $50 each year for every desktop computer. Used widely, power management tools could shave $500 million off the nation’s energy bill and eliminate 3 million tons of global warming pollution.

Here are some tips I use when considering my own purchasing and use of PCs and monitors, and I hope you find them helpful.

1. Consider the PC and Monitor you are purchasing:

Laptops vs Desktops – If you’re concerned about saving energy, choosing a laptop over a desktop PC might be your best bet, even if you plan to use it with an external monitor and keyboard. Many modern laptops consume less than 30 watts when running at full performance, compared with a modern desktop PC that idles around 60W and can consume in excess of 150W at full tilt -and that’s not including the monitor. Many new small form-factor laptops idle at less than 15W – less than the power used by a typical Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulb.

ENERGY STAR rated PCs and Monitors – These days it’s almost impossible to find a monitor or PC from a reputable manufacturer that doesn’t have an ENERGY STAR label on it. ENERGY STAR rated devices have earned their rating through meeting a rigorous set of guidelines and qualified products must now meet energy use guidelines in three distinct operating modes: standby (off mode), sleep mode, and while computers are being used. Also, qualified computers must also include a more efficient power supply (typically an 80 Plus rated version). While ENERGY STAR is a United States government standard, countries around the world are adopting the standard. Most people don’t realize though that the ENERGY STAR requirements are getting tougher, so the energy savings on newer PCs are likely to be better than a similar model from previous years.

LCDs vs. CRTs – An LCD monitor can consume half to two-thirds as much power as the an equivalent-sized CRT monitor, which is great news if you are in the market for a new display. However, many folks tend to ‘trade-up’ when the buy a new monitor, so potentially you may be consuming even more energy than you were with a small CRT. Along with checking how many watts the monitor consumes when it is active, simply turning down the brightness can save a significant percentage of the monitor’s energy use also. Plus your eyes will thank you after a long day of staring at the screen!

Look for EPEAT – The EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) database evaluates electronic products (desktops, laptops and monitors) on 51 total environmental criteria and can help identify environmentally preferable electronic products. The three-tiered EPEAT rating system includes 23 required criteria and 28 optional criteria. The optional criteria are used to determine if the equipment receives EPEAT Bronze, Silver, or Gold recognition. In addition, due to EPEAT’s requirement that registered products meet ENERGY STAR specifications, these products will consume less energy throughout their useful life. EPEAT was originally developed for institutional or business line purchasers, so many PCs targeted at individual consumers are not yet EPEAT rated, and recycling services provided by the manufacturer for EPEAT-rated PCs and monitors may not be available to individuals. EPEA is a US-based rating but has been adopted by countries such as Canada, Brazil, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

2. Consider how you use your PC and Monitor:

Turn on Power Management. Using the power management features on your PC is one of the easiest and cheapest things you can do to save energy. Power management features in the Windows Vista are on by default and will automatically put the PC to sleep after 60 minutes of idle time, and the monitor will turn off automatically after 20 minutes. You can always change the settings to be more aggressive and save even more. For example, my desktop PC at home (which is primarily used as a Media Center PC which I remotely access through an XBOX 360) is set to go to sleep after 10 minutes, and the monitor turns off after 5 minutes.
There are also free tools available to consumers, such as Edison by Verdiem, that help users track how much energy their PC is using and show how much could be saved by enabling various power management settings. In the Enterprise, vendors like Verdiem and 1E also provide comprehensive power management solutions to address your particular organizational needs.

Disable Screen Savers. It should come as no surprise that screen savers don’t save energy, and in some cases use more energy than when you are using the PC yourself. What may be less obvious is that using a screen saver instead of powering down the display may shorten the life of an LCD monitor due to the fluorescent tube becoming progressively dimmer as it is used. So say goodbye to those flying toasters and use display blanking instead (accessible via the power management control panel interface). If you use the screen saver to automatically lock your PC if it is left unattended for a while, I recommend using the blank screen saver (which doesn’t consume additional energy), and setting the monitor blanking timeout to be slightly shorter than the screen saver timeout. This way, if your monitor blanks while you are sitting at the machine, you can move your mouse to bring the display back up and not have to enter your password each time.

Unplug unused equipment when not in use (monitor, PC, wireless phones, printer, etc.). Many of your older electronic products that are plugged into the wall can still draw significant amounts of energy when they aren’t even being used. If an external power supply is warm, then it’s consuming at least some energy. However, most new devices are actually very energy efficient and will only draw a couple of watts or less while they are on standby, including PCs and monitors. Unless you have a watt meter and are able to measure individual devices, having them on a power strip and turning it off when not in use might make a noticeable difference on your energy bill, particularly if your devices are more than a couple of years old. You can buy smart power strips that automatically cut power to your other devices when the PC goes into sleep mode. The power strip provides the few watts the PC needs while in sleep, but can cut power to everything else until the PC is turned on.

3. Conscientiously dispose of your old or unwanted PC and Monitors

Recycle or Donate old PCs and Monitors: There are a number of great ways to handle the disposal of old PCs and monitors. While recycling through a reputable third party PC recycling vendor or directly through a PC/Monitor manufacturer is one good option, another option is to donate them to a technology refurbisher. Refurbishment reduces computer waste and provides affordable technology to millions of people. Today, about 28 million computers are refurbished and resold or freely distributed. Unfortunately, while 80 percent of the world's population is still without access to computers and the Internet, tens of millions of still-usable computers are discarded each year by businesses, individuals and organizations, mostly in the developed world. The reuse of computers offers tremendous promise for increasing access to information, especially for people underserved by technology. In addition, this helps ensure that older PCs don’t end up in landfills and are put to good use. To donate your old PC and to find a Microsoft Authorized Refurbisher near you, visit: http://www.techsoup.org/mar/marList.aspx

Well that’s a lot of advice and I hope you’re not too overwhelmed by it. Becoming energy efficient and environmentally sustainable is a journey and doesn’t have to be an all or nothing proposition. Start with the low hanging fruit first (e.g. enabling power management and buying Energy Star and EPEAT rated devices) and you can worry about fine tuning later on down the road. In a future post I’ll be writing about some of the experiences I have had with the energy consumed by other consumer electronics, such as TVs and Game Consoles.