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CEA: IEA Report offers Flawed Conclusions about Energy Efficiency

July 10, 2014 by Jeff Shepard

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) says a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) seems to include flawed conclusions and inaccurate data. IEA's report, "More Data, Less Energy: Making Network Standby More Efficient in Billions of Connected Devices," finds that in 2013, the world's networked devices consumed around 616 TWh of electricity, the majority of which was used in standby mode. Of that total, around 400 TWh was wasted because of inefficient technology. CEA recently commissioned and released a study from the Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems, "Energy Consumption of Consumer Electronics in U.S. Homes in 2013", showing that electricity usage per U.S. home is falling although in-home consumer electronics have multiplied. This stands in contrast with the findings of the IEA.

“We congratulate the International Energy Agency and its staff on the publication of this report and appreciate the agency’s dialogue with industry stakeholders during the past several months. Developing such a report is a significant undertaking, as we know from our own recent and comprehensive study of consumer electronics energy use, stated Doug Johnson, vice president of technology policy, Consumer Electronics Association.” Contrary to implications of the IEA report, we find that consumer electronics now account for a lower percentage of electricity usage per U.S. household than they did just three years ago – even as they’ve seen significantly higher market penetration in U.S. homes.

“As we and our members review the details of the new report, we appreciate the IEA’s recognition of the significant role that industry standards and voluntary agreements play in improving energy efficiency. Just last year, CEA and other international organizations in the World Electronics Forum highlighted the importance of reducing the power consumed by connected devices in network standby mode and supported several principles that are referenced in the IEA report,” Johnson continued.

“As our industry has learned from more than 20 years of experience in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR program, market-oriented, flexible approaches are superior to regulatory mandates in advancing energy efficiency, while protecting innovation and competition in the fast-moving market for information and communication technology. In fact, the pay-TV and consumer electronics industries are already building on our recent Set-Top Box Energy Conservation Agreement with a new initiative focused on efficiency in small network equipment.

“Given the rapid changes in the energy consumption characteristics of consumer electronics devices and high-tech products, it’s essential to develop and use up-to-date and accurate assessments of energy usage. Clearly, energy efficiency is best achieved when the public and private sectors work together,” concluded Johnson.