If you have one of those boxes from your cable television company, you might want to check your monthly electric bill carefully for any unexplained increases in power consumption.

It seems that those contraptions that are supposed to improve cable TV reception, with the digitization of broadcasts, are energy guzzlers, especially if they are on 24/7.

In a recent New York Times article, Elisabeth Rosenthal said, “Those little boxes that usher cable signals and digital recording capacity into televisions have become the single largest electricity drain in many homes, with some typical home entertainment configurations eating more power than a new refrigerator and even some central airconditioning systems.”

Rosenthal said a recent study found that, because the contraptions were running at full capacity even when there was no one at home watching TV, the boxes “consumed US$3 billion in electricity per year in the United States.” And, of course, if no one is watching anything, all that energy consumption just goes to waste.

It is not that this state of affairs is inevitable. Rosenthal said experts said the perpetual operation of the boxes was “largely a function of design and programming choices made by electronics companies and cable and Internet providers.”

She reported that similar gadgets in some European countries could automatically go into standby mode when not in use, halving energy consumption. “They can also go into an optional ‘deep sleep,’ which can reduce energy consumption by about 95 percent compared to when the machine is active,” Rosenthal said.

She added that concerns about less than optimal service if the boxes did not operate 24/7 were dismissed by energy efficiency experts as negligible. They gave the assurance, she said, that technical fixes could eliminate waiting time and inconvenience at very little cost.

Rosenthal said that in the US, the reason cable companies were not adopting more energy-efficient gadgets was because there was no demand from consumers. In households already using considerable energy, the gadgets’ consumption could be easily overlooked.

The issue, however, is not just about cost. Even if you have no problem paying your electric bill, the energy wasted should still be a major concern. So, if you care for the environment and dwindling resources, ask your cable provider how much energy their boxes consume and if there are more efficient alternatives.

As Rosenthal said, companies would not take the initiative to make their gadgets more energy efficient unless consumers demanded it.

Win a Mac

Globe Telecom and the SM group are giving special discounts and incentives on the mobile company’s offers and products purchased at all SM outlets nationwide.

The partners are giving away three sets of Apple Mac Air 11” plus MyFi Prepaid Kit preloaded with one-month unlimited surfing, in a special raffle draw at every SM Supermall that goes on a three-day sale from July to October. Every P1,000 purchase gives a customer one raffle entry.

Check out other offers available to Globe subscribers when you visit any SM Department Store, SM Hypermarket, or SM Supermarket. Globe and TM rewards points are convertible to SM Advantage Card points.

Send letters to The Consumer, Lifestyle Section, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 1098 Chino Roces Ave. cor. Mascardo and Yague Sts., 1204 Makati City; fax 8974793/94; or e-mail [email protected].