TORONTO – Bell, Cogeco, Rogers, Shaw, and Videotron were among the stakeholders present at last week’s inaugural meeting of the Steering Committee of the Canadian Energy Efficiency Voluntary Agreement for Set-Top Boxes (CEEVA).
The parties, which also included set-top box manufacturers ARRIS and EchoStar Technologies as well as Natural Resources Canada, met to further earlier discussions over a voluntary agreement announced in January to cut the total annual energy consumption of Canadian set-top boxes. Supporting organizations CableLabs and the Consumer Technology Association were also in attendance at the meeting.
CEEVA said Thursday that the implementation of commitments are expected to reduce the total annual energy consumption of Canadian set-top boxes and cut annual carbon dioxide emissions by over 100,000 metric tonnes, the equivalent of taking more than 44,000 cars off the road.
The voluntary agreement aims to complement the Energy Star set-top box program in Canada by establishing feature-based maximum energy consumption allowance levels for new set-top boxes received by Canadian pay-TV service providers. It also supports the federal, provincial, and territorial governments' broader efforts to help Canadians and the environment by increasing the energy efficiency of products and equipment.
"We had a full day of positive, productive discussions between signatories and we're encouraged by the progress made to date," said Joe Varano, a Rogers’ product manager serving as chair of the steering committee, in a statement. "This agreement enables us to be at the forefront of energy efficiency and conservation for this product category."
