NCTA, Seeking Administrator for New Net Gear Energy Pact, Says Audit Found Savings From Existing Accord

providers, makers of consumer electronics and energy efficiency advocates saved $500 million-plus in energy, preventing 3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, said the association Thursday, citing a report released that day by an independent auditor. The VA saved consumers $336 million in 2014, a year when 90 percent of set-tops bought by pay-TV providers met the Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star v3.0 efficiency levels, said NCTA in a Wednesday blog post. But progress toward the next tier of performance could be "challenging," because set-tops bought in January 2017 likely will have more functionality than products reported for last year, said the report dated July 31, the second annual one under the VA. It said Tier 2 requirements must be met by 90 percent of set-tops bought by participants starting Dec. 31, 2016. The pay-TV industry, "undergoing massive changes" including shifting to IP-based video that may cut set-top energy use, opens "up a realm of possibilities," wrote Senior Scientist Noah Horowitz of the Natural Resources Defense Council, a participant in the set-top VA, on the NRDC's blog. "We are hoping that the industry includes power-scaling technology in their next-generation devices so these devices only work as hard as the task at hand." Meanwhile, the steering committee for June's VA on Web gear issued a request for proposals for an independent administrator for that accord, which doesn't include energy efficiency advocates but does include pay-TV and CE companies. RFPs for that small network equipment initiative are due Sept. 16, said NCTA. The administrator "will annually assess each company’s compliance, produce an annual report, and handle many other transparency and verification functions," said the association.