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how much power does a cable box draw

by Dr. Elwyn Maggio III Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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The previously cited study found that HD cable boxes averaged 171 kWh/year and HD DVRs averaged 275 kWh/year. Assuming you have units that perform around the same as the average of the units tested in their study that means your annual household energy consumption for your media devices is approximately 959 kWh/year.Sep 29, 2016

Full Answer

How much energy does a cable box use?

The previously cited study found that HD cable boxes averaged 171 kWh/year and HD DVRs averaged 275 kWh/year. Assuming you have units that perform around the same as the average of the units tested in their study that means your annual household energy consumption for your media devices is approximately 959...

Do cable boxes use more electricity than refrigerators?

Their findings indicated that power consumption of the average cable box/DVR combo (~446 kWh/year) was higher the average refrigerator (~415 kWh/year) and was second only to air conditioning units (1500+ kWh/year) in terms of highest power use in the typical household.

How much power can be drawn through a single Molex power cable?

Is there a limit on how much power can be safely drawn through a single molex power cable? Most cables have up to 4 connectors daisy chained together, but this doesn't necessarily mean its safe to have any 4 molex powered components drawing from the single cable.

How many components can I power with one power cable?

Most cables have up to 4 connectors daisy chained together, but this doesn't necessarily mean its safe to have any 4 molex powered components drawing from the single cable. I know normal hard drives/ssds only use 6-10 watts each, but I'm looking to power 6 65W components with as few cables as possible.

How much power does a DVR use?

How much energy does a DVR consume?

Do cable boxes always turn on?

Is a cable box power hungry?

Do cable boxes consume power?

Can you experiment with cable box power?

Do cable boxes go into hibernation?

See 4 more

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How much electricity does a cable box use in a month?

And you know what that requires? Yep: energy. All in all, a set-top cable box with a DVR can consume as much as 35 kilowatt hours a month—meaning that it alone can account for $8 a month in electric bills (at least, that's according to reporting coming from the Times, for a Southern California consumer).

Should I leave my cable box on all the time?

Because of these variables, we can't say exactly how much energy your TV Box saves when powered down. However, to maximize your energy savings, you should always power down your TV Box when you are done watching TV.

How many watts does a cable box use per hour?

35 wattsDid you know cutting the cord can lower your utility bills? Let's take a closer look at these hidden costs. The LA Times reported that an idle cable DVR box consumes 35 watts of power every hour (this is in addition to how much power it uses when the box is in use).

How many amps does a TV and cable box use?

The average American TV is 50 inches and uses 0.95 amps at 120 volts. That works out to an average TV power consumption of 113 watts. In a given year, the average TV will use 142 kWh and cost a little over 17 dollars (assuming 5 hours of use per day).

Does turning TV off at the wall save electricity?

Turning off your appliances at the wall won't magically cut your power bill in half, but it can help you further conserve energy and save on electricity.

Does TV consume electricity when off by remote?

Electronic items should not be left on standby as they will still be consuming electricity from the plug socket to continue to run on the dormant mode. In the case of a television set, this means that the TV is consuming power to ensure it remains functional to be used with the remote control at all times.

Do directv boxes use a lot of electricity?

A regular box consumes about 8 watts, a non-DVR HD box consumes about 21 watts. On or off - doesn't matter. These things ought to go into a standby mode when not in use to reduce power consumption, and ought to be less than 1 watt when not in use.

How many watts does a cable modem use?

Modems/routers Modem/router power consumption ranges from under 3 watts through to 12 watts or more, dependent on features and design, equating to a yearly running cost from under $10 to over $30. It's not a huge cost, but given that range, it's worth considering when buying a modem.

How many watts does a router use?

On average, Wi-Fi routers use between 5 and 20 watts of electricity – this number is dependent on the model you have. 10 watts is a safe average electricity consumption to assume for modern Wi-Fi routers from top manufacturers.

What will happen if I use a 5 amp socket for a 2000 W Equipment?

Assuming you are on a 220V-240V household system, your 5 amp circuit will support 1100–1200W of power, so as soon as your equipment draws more than than 5A the breaker or fuse will trip and you will be in the dark.

What household item uses the most electricity?

Washing machines, dishwashers and tumble dryers account for 14% of a typical energy bill, taking the top spot in our list. The power needed to heat the water that they use pushes up consumption, making them energy-hungry household appliances.

What can I run on a 20 amp breaker?

A 20 Amp breaker can handle up to 2,400 Watts. Many of the breakers you see in the panel run entire rooms. This includes things like standard outlets and built-in lighting systems. Though there are some breakers that are set up to handle one single appliance.

Should I turn off my Xfinity cable box?

Your TV Box must always be powered on to perform regular functions (like software updates and DVR recordings).

Can cable boxes overheat?

Your cable box uses almost as much electricity as your refrigerator, so it generates a lot of heat which has to go somewhere. Without enough air flow, your electronics can overheat to the point of permanent damage or fire. Overheating also stifles the efficiency of electronics.

Why does my cable box turn off at night?

This may indicate a sleep or power-off timer is set. Please check the following: Press [Settings] on your remote, and then press [A] for more settings. Scroll down to Timers and verify Sleep Timer and Power-Off Timer are both set to Off.

Can Comcast cable box overheat?

"Warning Temperature warning! Your TV Box is exceeding a safe operating temperature. Please clear the space around it to provide better ventilation. If the temperature continues to rise, your TV Box will automatically go into standby mode to protect it from damage."

Do you turn the cable box off? - myLot

To tell you the truth, I have no idea. I turn it off anyway though, since the slightest light can keep me awake when I'm trying to sleep. I can't have any lights on when I'm trying to sleep, and no sounds either, except the fan that I have on in my room.

Sky, BT, Virgin Media Set-Top Boxes electricity usage - Sust-it

Compare energy usage of digital TV set top boxes in UK, from Sky, BT, Virgin Media and other providers.

Your Set-Top Box Is Murdering Your Electric Bill. Here's What You Can Do

A recent study by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) made headlines when it revealed that the biggest energy drain in your house likely isn't the fridge, air conditioner, or heater--it ...

Introduction

Comcast is committed to creating the sustainable devices of tomorrow. In 2013, we joined with other leading, multichannel video programming distributors to launch an historic TV Box energy conservation agreement.

TV Box Energy Usage Data

The power measurements below represent the TV Boxes generally configured as they are deployed in Comcast’s network, running Comcast software, and measured in accordance with the test procedures as specified in the Voluntary Agreement. The energy use of an individual TV Box may vary.

How much energy does a DVR consume?

Yep: energy. All in all, a set-top cable box with a DVR can consume as much as 35 kilowatt hours a month —meaning that it alone can account for $8 a month in electric bills (at least, that's according to reporting coming from the Times, for a Southern California consumer).

Why are the boxes bad?

That's because they are, unlike Game of Thrones viewers, extremely bad at enjoying some downtime. The boxes don't just consume power when you're using them; they also suck up energy when they're turned off.

Do the boxes consume power?

The boxes don't just consume power when you're using them; they also suck up energy when they're turned off. That's in turn because there's a whole mess of work being done under the boxes' casing: spinning hard drives, program guide updates, software downloads, all going on in the background. To the extent that "the devices," ...

Your cable set top box uses a surprising number of kilowatts just being plugged in and on standby

Because it’s running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, your cable TV box is a constant household energy drain. The device’s shortcomings in terms of energy efficiency have prompted some unfavorable press over the years.

Not all cable boxes are ENERGY STAR Certified and the transition is not mandatory

In 2016 some cable companies have started to respond to the energy efficiency community’s concerns by beginning to transition their equipment to newer, more efficient equipment. However, it’s not mandatory and the inconvenience and expense to the cable companies tends to slow progress in this area.

Cable TV set top boxes with DVR functionality are the worst offenders

The table summarizes measurements, with the average, low and maximum power levels observed while the set-top boxes are in standby. Power consumption is listed in “watts” (W).

Having more than one cable TV box multiplies the energy drain on your household

It stands to reason doesn’t it? You’re sucking down twice as much power when using two cable boxes versus one, three times as much with three, four times as much with four… you get it. And that’s whether the boxes are turned on or off and in standby mode.

There are excellent energy-efficient, cost effective alternatives to cable TV available

Cordcutters have known about the green benefits to Mohu over air HDTV antennas for some time and love them for their low cost, simple setup, energy efficiency and high performance.

How much money can you save by going solar?

A solar panel system for the average U.S. home can pay for itself in as little as 5-6 years. Use our solar cost calculator to find out how long it would take to eliminate your electric bill.

Appliance Consumption Table

The laundry area and kitchen of the modern house contain the biggest users of electricity. If energy is conserved and use of Energy Star appliances is maximized, your home is well on the way to becoming an example of independent living. Click here for a list of how much power each appliance uses.

Download Our Getting Started Guide

New to solar? Download our free guide to learn the basics and get started designing a system that’s right for you.

How to get accurate reading on electricity usage?

By plugging the appliance into the monitor, you can obtain an accurate reading on electricity usage to determine which appliances are the biggest drain on resources, and making it a habit to unplug them after each use.

How to reduce electricity bill?

The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that approximately 10 percent of the average household electric bill is due to phantom energy loads, and by making some small changes you can instantly reduce your monthly payments. You can maximize your savings by figuring out which appliances in your home utilize the most energy when powered down by using a handheld electricity monitor or a power usage monitor that plugs into the wall. By plugging the appliance into the monitor, you can obtain an accurate reading on electricity usage to determine which appliances are the biggest drain on resources, and making it a habit to unplug them after each use.

How to maximize energy savings?

You can maximize your savings by figuring out which appliances in your home utilize the most energy when powered down by using a handheld electricity monitor or a power usage monitor that plugs into the wall.

Can you power down appliances by pulling the plug?

Surprisingly, even those that are turned off after use may continue to draw power, and the only way to truly power down many appliances is by pulling the plug.

Does unplugging appliances save electricity?

Energy Fact: Does Unplugging Appliances Really Save Electricity? In an effort to lower energy bills and reduce their impact on the environment, more and more homeow ners are looking for ways to save electricity by making changes to their daily habits and routines. While there are many myths surrounding electricity usage there are a number ...

coen113

I'm looking for a good PSU in the 550-650W range based on what calculations I've done myself, but temporarily I will have this running off a Corsair AX1200 that I use for my test bench. Limited number of molex/sata power cables on psu's is actually why I'm asking. most modular psu's in the 550-650w range only have room for 3-5 molex cables.

BrightCandle

As far as I know molex is good only for 11A ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molex_connector ). If you have one with 18 AWG wire then the wire can survive 16A but the pin might not cope with it.

PassionFruit

The GTX 750tis have no extra 6pin connector and the riser is designed to take no power from the motherboard, so it takes what power it needs from the molex connector. The GPU has a TDP of 60W and you need to allow a bit more for vram etc, so 65w is a good estimate.

How much power does a DVR use?

Their findings indicated that power consumption of the average cable box/DVR combo (~446 kWh/year) was higher the average refrigerator (~415 kWh/year) and was second only to air conditioning units (1500+ kWh/year) in terms of highest power use in the typical household.

How much energy does a DVR consume?

The previously cited study found that HD cable boxes averaged 171 kWh/year and HD DVRs averaged 275 kWh/year. Assuming you have units that perform around the same as the average of the units tested in their study that means your annual household energy consumption for your media devices is approximately 959 kWh/year. Or, to put that in perspective, a value equivalent to putting two full size beer fridges in your garage (and then leaving the garage lights on 24/7 just in case you need to get a beer at 3AM).

Do cable boxes always turn on?

Consumers expect this and cable boxes are designed to provide this. Unlike computers, where the consumer has some expectation that they will have to wait for a small window of time after the device is turned on, televisions are expected to turn on immediately. As such, companies designed cable boxes to be always on and to be ready to respond to user commands with zero delay. The majority of cable boxes on the market never idle, never hibernate, and never go into any sort of power saving state. It’s essentially the equivalent of running a computer 24/7 so that someone can sit down at any moment, turn the monitor on, and start surfing the web.

Is a cable box power hungry?

A 2011 study by the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) found that cable boxes and DVRs were so staggeringly power hungry that, based on the estimate number of these units in the United States the net power bill for all the cable boxes and DVRs across the country was roughly 3 billion dollars (2 billion of which was wasted on the approximately 16 hours a day the devices sat idle).

Do cable boxes consume power?

While cable companies and the electronics firms that supply them with hardware could work toward Energy Star certification and lower power use most of them have no interest in doing this. This leads us to your second question focused on why cable boxes consume so much power.

Can you experiment with cable box power?

Barring getting a more efficient box, which is unfortunately unlikely, you can experiment with managing your power use . The savings here are highly variable and you (and everyone reading this Ask HTG article) will need to test their own system to see what works best. Here are a couple potential ideas to get you started in experimenting with your cable boxes.

Do cable boxes go into hibernation?

The majority of cable boxes on the market never idle, never hibernate, and never go into any sort of power saving state. It’s essentially the equivalent of running a computer 24/7 so that someone can sit down at any moment, turn the monitor on, and start surfing the web. DVRs are even bigger culprits when it comes to energy consumption ...

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1.Do Cable Boxes and DVRs Really Use That Much Power?

Url:https://www.howtogeek.com/197733/ask-htg-do-cable-boxes-and-dvrs-really-use-that-much-power/

6 hours ago The previously cited study found that HD cable boxes averaged 171 kWh/year and HD DVRs averaged 275 kWh/year. Assuming you have units that perform around the same as the …

2.Energy Usage of Your Comcast TV Box - Xfinity Support

Url:https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/set-top-box-energy-usage

7 hours ago A set-top cable box with a digital recorder can consume as much as 35 watts of power, costing about $8 a month for a typical Southern California consumer. The devices use nearly as much …

3.Cable Boxes Use an Absurd Amount of Energy, Even …

Url:https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/06/the-energy-costs-of-your-game-of-thrones-obsession/372950/

25 hours ago TV Box Energy Usage Data. The power measurements below represent the TV Boxes generally configured as they're deployed in Comcast’s network, running Comcast software, and …

4.Wasteful Cable: Energy Squandered While You Sleep

Url:https://www.gomohu.com/blog/cable-box-energy-waste-while-you-sleep/

32 hours ago  · All in all, a set-top cable box with a DVR can consume as much as 35 kilowatt hours a month—meaning that it alone can account for $8 a month in electric bills (at least, …

5.Verizon FIOS Cablebox Power consumption - Verizon Fios …

Url:https://forums.verizon.com/t5/fios-tv-technical-assistance/verizon-fios-cablebox-power-consumption/td-p/320527

12 hours ago Having more than one cable TV box multiplies the energy drain on your household. It stands to reason doesn’t it? You’re sucking down twice as much power when using two cable boxes …

6.Home Appliances Power Consumption Table - Unbound …

Url:https://unboundsolar.com/solar-information/power-table

3 hours ago  · Wondering if anyone has any best practices on limiting the power consumption from the FIOS cable boxes? I understand the need for the set top boxes to be available for …

7.Energy Fact: Does Unplugging Appliances Really Save …

Url:https://www.mrappliance.com/blog/2020/june/energy-fact-does-unplugging-appliances-really-sa/

16 hours ago Cable Box. 35. Belt Sander – 3″ ... Box Fan. 200. Incandescent 100 Watt: 100. Hair Dryer: 1500. Ceiling Fan. 120. LED Bulb – 40 Watt Equivalent: 10. ... and other devices left plugged in but not …

8.Molex cable power draw - Power Supplies - Linus Tech Tips

Url:https://linustechtips.com/topic/122518-molex-cable-power-draw/

3 hours ago  · For example, unplugging your coffeemaker or microwave is unlikely to make a significant difference, while a computer, modem, and monitor, TV, phone charger, or cable box …

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