Sales of consumer electronics products for use in U.S. homes are booming: Between 1980 and 2010, the number of devices sold per year increased 20-fold. Energy use for these products—such as televisions, set-top boxes, computers, monitors, and network equipment—is about 15 percent of residential electricity consumption, and is increasing rapidly.
The Get Smart Guide, published by the Green Technology Leadership Group, reviews these devices and how they work, and presents opportunities to make them more efficient through better power management, and display and data-processing technologies. It also outlines what policy measures are being used today to promote more efficient products, including Energy Star labels, efficiency standards, and the promotion of smart design principles.