How many electronic devices do you have in your home? If you’re like most Americans, you’ve got a growing collection of smartphones, flat screen TVs, laptops, e-readers and other electronic goodies crowding your outlets for charging space. And with the rise of the “Internet of Things,” the number of devices in your home is only going to grow.
The good news is, a growing number of devices doesn’t necessarily translate into an increase in home energy use. In fact, the opposite is possible. And now we have the numbers to prove it.
According to a recent study from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and the Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems, the number of consumer electronics devices in use in the U.S. rose from 2.9 billion in 2010 to 3.8 billion in 2013. However, consumer electronics’ share of overall residential electricity consumption fell nine percent over the same period, from 13.2 percent in 2010 to just 12 percent in 2013.
In other words, American homes are more fun, convenient, and comfortable thanks to electronic devices, but all those consumer electronics aren’t turning our homes into energy hogs.
Or, as Ann Bailey, director of the ENERGY STAR Products Program, put it, “This is further evidence that American consumers don’t have to sacrifice to save energy and help protect the climate.”
As a consumer electronics company that cares about comfort, energy, and the climate, that’s music to our ears.
