Digital switchover is expected to have implications for both transmitter power usage and consumer power usage. The Government’s assessment is that the replacement of the analogue terrestrial transmission network with a nationwide digital terrestrial television network will lead to a net reduction in energy usage by the transmission networks of 186 GWh per year. Completion of switchover is expected to result in an increase in consumer energy use of between 966GWh and 2816GWh per annum, primarily due to the expected increase in the take up of set-top boxes. This is equivalent to a 0.37 per cent. increase in domestic electricity consumption. The Government’s overall estimate for the total impact of switchover is a net increase of 1705GWh per year.
Further details are contained in the ‘Regulatory and Environmental Impact Assessment: the timing of digital switchover’, published on 16 September 2005. This was placed in the House Library at the time of publication, and is also available at:
www.digitaltelevision.gov.uk.