Excited About Efficiency
By Sharon Henry
CEA now largest industry supporter of Calplug ResearchCenter works to create connections, power innovationand boost efficiency
Irvine, January 22, 2015 —
Today the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)® announced its formal partnership with the California Plug Load Research Center (CalPlug), joining the center in its efforts to advance energy efficiency, environmental quality and economic growth. Already among CalPlug’s founding advisory board members, with this new financial support CEA now becomes CalPlug’s largest private-sector donor and a Core Supporter alongside the California Energy Commission and Public Utilities Commission.
“We’re proud to deepen our partnership with CalPlug, and help advance its mission of improving energy efficiency and powering innovation,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CEA. “It’s clear that innovation, competition, voluntary agreements and public-private partnerships are the best drivers of efficiency improvements for consumer electronics.”
“This is a great opportunity for us to team up and provide truly effective and practical solutions for the CE industry,” said G.P. Li, CalPlug director. “Together we can focus on the innovation to improve overall efficiency of integrated devices.”
Last year, CEA released Energy Consumption of Consumer Electronics in U.S. Homes in 2013, the third major study CEA commissioned to quantify the electricity consumption of consumer electronics (CE) in U.S. households. According to the study, CE devices accounted for just 12 percent of residential electricity consumption in the U.S. in 2013, a 9 percent drop from their energy consumption share in 2010.
“Consumer electronics are becoming lighter and more efficient at a faster-than-ever pace,” said Shapiro. “Our research shows that even though we now have more CE devices in our homes, they represent a smaller portion of our monthly electricity consumption. As a strategic partner with CalPlug, we’re perfectly positioned to promote even greater energy efficiency for consumers, especially given our rapidly growing adoption of the Internet of Things.”
CalPlug was established in 2011 at the University of California, Irvine to improve energy efficiency in the use and design of appliances and consumer electronics. The center focuses on efficiency evaluation of CE, user-behavior studies and developing energy efficiency solutions, and addresses challenges in plug-load efficiency for both residential and commercial buildings by collaborating closely with utilities, manufacturers, advocacy groups, research institutions and energy policy makers. Among the nearly dozen organizations from the private sector that have become members of CalPlug, CEA is the largest contributing sponsor to join the collaborative effort.
About CEA:
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the technology trade association representing the $223 billion U.S. consumer electronics industry. More than 2,000 companies enjoy the benefits of CEA membership, including legislative and regulatory advocacy, market research, technical training and education, industry promotion, standards development and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CEA also owns and produces the International CES – The Global Stage for Innovation. All profits from CES are reinvested into CEA’s industry services. Find CEA online at www.CE.org, www.DeclareInnovation.com and through social media.