Cable Box, DVR, Big Energy Wasters

DENVER (CBS4)- It's not your refrigerator or your air conditioning unit that's wasting the most energy in your home. For most people it's the DVR and home cable box.

"It looks like one of the smartest devices in your house and yet it's the dumbest when it comes to energy use," said Ecos Consulting spokesman Chris Calwell.

Calwell is a Durango-based consultant to the Natural Resource Defense Council. A recent study by the NRDC found $3 billion in electricity is consumed annually by HD DVRs and pay-TV boxes.

Two billion dollars or 66 percent of that energy is wasted because the devices are still running when nobody is using them to watch television.

Comcast, a major provider of cable in Colorado, claims newer devices waste less energy.

"We're continuing to work with the companies that make the boxes and software... to find ways to make them even more efficient," said Comcast Vice President of Public Relations Cindy Parson.

Calwell uses an electric timer to turn the device off when it's not in use.