Green home credentials 'put on standby'
The spread of integrated home entertainment systems will hinder efforts to cut energy consumption in Britain, a new report says.The Energy Saving Trust (EST) believes the proliferation of devices like set-top boxes, laptops, DAB radios and plasma televisions will account for an enormous 45 per cent of all electricity used in UK homes by 2020.Such an expansion will put pressure on efforts to tackle climate change by reducing energy use, The Ampere Strikes Back report argues.It says leaving electrical equipment on standby could cost over £4 billion by 2020. Total costs for televisions alone will reach £1.66 billion, with only £71 million of this actually being used while the machine is operating.EST chief executive Philip Sellwood said he hoped the report showed "just how easy it is to lose track of what is sucking up energy in our homes and costing us and the environment dear"."With trends such as listening to the radio through TV and PC on the increase, it's highly unlikely that consumers realise that this uses far more energy than conventional means, or that some digital radios use almost as much energy when considered switched off at the unit as they do while switched on," he added.After the Stern report warned last year that a failure to act on the issue would cost Britain approximately five per cent of its GDP, the government said it hoped to cut total carbon emissions in the UK by 60 per cent by the midpoint of the 21st century.It hopes to enhance the energy efficiency of residential properties by enforcing the introduction of an energy performance certificate in its home information packs initiative, the rollout of which begins next month.
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