Published: 26 June 2006
Shopping for energy efficiency
Government ministers have met with eleven of the major UK consumer electronic retailers to discuss how they can help deliver more energy efficient products for their customers.
The initiative, announced in this year's Budget, will look to set up a voluntary partnership for retailers to commit, from next year, to sell energy efficient consumer electronic products, with the aim of significantly reducing carbon emissions from these products by 2010.
Last year, consumer electronics used around 18 terawatt-hours equivalent to the annual output from 5 standard power stations, amounting to 30% of UK's total domestic electricity consumption.
Statistics from Defra's Market Transformation Programme show that this could rise to 31 terawatt hours by 2010.
This is mainly due to the rise in the number of televisions in people's homes, demand for larger screens and for digital set-top boxes.
Projections show that over 50 million digital set-top boxes will be in UK homes by 2012 - these will need an additional 3.5TWh to power them.
Financial Secretary to the Treasury John Healey said:
"Just leaving devices such as TVs and DVD players on standby at home puts up to 1 million tonnes of carbon a year into the atmosphere and costs households around £25 a year.
By working in partnership with retailers, this initiative will not only help tackle climate change, it will help cut customers' electricity bills."
The Summit looked for major electronics retailers and supermarkets to commit to supply energy efficient products that could reduce the energy consumption of the products they sell, cutting their customers' electricity bills and reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
Further information
Market Transformation Programme
International Energy Efficiency in Lighting and Domestic Appliances (EEDAL) conference
Energy Savings Trust
EU Renewable Energy Unit
Intelligent Energy Europe
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