WASHINGTON—Set-top boxes have been going green over the last few years, and as indicated by a recent report from D+R International, it is also saving some green in consumers’ pockets. Per the report, consumers saved approximately $646 million in energy costs in 2015 as a result of the voluntary set-top box energy conservation agreement between pay-TV providers, consumer technology manufacturers and energy efficiency advocates. In addition, 3.6 million metric tons of CO2 emissions were prevented because of the agreement.

The Voluntary Agreement was approved in 2012 and was expanded in 2013 by energy efficiency advocates and the pay-TV industry. Since then D+R says that a near total of $1.2 billion have been saved in energy costs, while 6.5 million metric tons of CO2 have been prevented.

Noah Horowitz, director of the Center for Energy Efficiency Standards at the Natural Resources Defense Council, says that the new DVRs that make up the majority of set-top boxes use 36 percent less energy annually then set-tops did in 2012. He also highlights that the emergence of cloud and internet-connected TVs have eliminated the need for a set-top boxes altogether.

Additional findings from D+R’s report include that 99.5 percent of new set-top boxes meet the Energy Star Efficiency Standards; the expansion of multi-room DVR, network and cloud offerings; the introduction of energy-saving modes; and the growth of the use of apps to watch TV content, reducing the number of set-top boxes.

The participants of the Voluntary Agreement have launched a website for more information about its progress. View the website here.