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ENERGY STAR
PARTNER
ENERGY STAR Program Requirements
for Cable, Satellite, and Telecom Service Providers
Partner Commitments
DRAFT 3 - Version 1.0
January 14, 2008
Commitment
The following are the terms of the ENERGY STAR Partnership Agreement as it pertains to cable,
satellite, and telecom service providers that deploy set top boxes (STBs) to subscribers. The ENERGY STAR
Partner must adhere to the following program requirements:
•	comply with current ENERGY STAR Identity Guidelines, describing how the ENERGY STAR marks and
name must be used. Partner is responsible for adhering to these guidelines and for ensuring that its
authorized representatives, such as advertising agencies, are also in compliance;
•	ensure that 50% of all STBs purchased and 50% of all new boxes deployed to subscribers within a calendar
year are ENERGY STAR qualified;
Note: A requirement of 50% has been added to the specification, applicable staring in 2009. EPA will re-
evaluate the appropriateness of this percentage for 2010 and 2011, when Tier 2 becomes effective and there is
more information on the likely availability of qualifying products.
The requirements for percentage of boxes purchased and boxes deployed are independent to allow for clarity in
accounting when boxes are not purchased and deployed in the same calendar year. For example, an ENERGY
STAR qualified set top box purchased in December 2009 would count towards the purchase requirement for
2009. If this box was installed in January 2010, it would count against the installation requirement for 2010.
Service providers may join ENERGY STAR immediately upon publication of the final specification for STBs and
may promote their pledge to deploy qualified boxes immediately upon finalizing their partnership agreement with
EPA. EPA intends to verify that this requirement is met through the annual collection of purchase and
deployment data, further explained below.
Refurbished or reconfigured STBs (i.e. "legacy boxes") may be counted toward the purchase and
deployment requirement if they meet the same energy efficiency requirements noted for new STBs. The
service provider must test a representative sample of the refurbished STBs following the test procedure
provided in ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Set-top Boxes - Version 2.
Note: Recognition of refurbished or reconfigured STBs that meet ENERGY STAR criteria has been added.
Refurbished or reconfigured STBs that qualify may be added to the number of new qualified STBs to meet
purchase and deployment requirements.
Purchased (%) = 100 * f,new ENERGY STAR qualified STBs purchased + refurbished qualified STBsl
total STBs purchased
Deployed (%) = 100 * f,new ENERGY STAR qualified STBs deployed + refurbished qualified STBs deployed!
total new STBs deployed
Both Purchased and Deployed percentages may exceed 100% when including refurbished qualified STBs.
• ensure that ENERGY STAR qualified set-top boxes continue to meet or exceed ENERGY STAR
technical requirements for the duration of their deployment. This is confirmed by testing for ENERGY
STAR qualification while the product is connected to the head end, either at the live head end or at
representative head end in a laboratory. This also includes deploying and configuring the box in such a
ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Cable, Satellite, and Telecom Service Providers: Draft 2 Version 1.0
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way that any power management features and notifications provided by the original equipment
manufacturers function as intended. EPA may, at its discretion, conduct field tests on products that are
referred to as ENERGY STAR qualified.
Note: EPA strongly believes that service providers should test STBs within their environment to ensure that the
STBs perform as expected to meet ENERGY STAR criteria. Not every STB delivered needs to be tested. A
sample of each type of device and configuration is appropriate. EPA seeks further guidance from service
providers on language appropriate to achieve this objective.	
When a STB requires enabled Auto Power Down functionality for purposes of maintaining ENERGY
STAR qualification, the following requirements must be met:
1.	The STB must be configured with the auto power down setting engaging at four hours or less of
inactivity. It is acceptable for the current program to complete before switching to the Sleep state. These
energy-related settings shall persist unless the user chooses at a later date to manually: a) disable the
auto power down or b) adjust the default time period from four hours or less to some other value. Partner
may choose to not allow user the option of changing the power down settings.
2.	The STB may exit an automatically-initiated sleep mode in order to scan for program and system
information, scheduling information, or any other maintenance activity. If this occurs, the STB may exit
the Sleep mode for no longer than two hours in a twenty-four (24) hour period that the device would
otherwise remain in Sleep mode.
Note: The above Auto Power Down provision applies only when a STB requires this feature to meet the
ENERGY STAR criteria. Manufacturers are required to inform Service Providers of this requirement and ship the
STBs defaulted with the Auto Power Down enabled and configured to meet the requirements above.	
•	at every opportunity, install ENERGY STAR qualified low energy consumption remote boxes when an
installation has a Gateway STB installed;
•	for all qualified STBs installed and configured as required to maintain ENERGY STAR qualification, provide
clear and consistent labeling of ENERGY STAR qualified set-top boxes. The ENERGY STAR mark must be
clearly displayed on the product, or via electronic notification.
1. via electronic notification:
-	The ENERGY STAR mark must appear in cyan, black, or white (as described in the ENERGY STAR
Identity Guidelines');
-	The ENERGY STAR mark must be at least 10% of the screen by area, may not be smaller than 76
pixels x 78 pixels, and must be legible;
-	The ENERGY STAR mark must appear for a duration not less than five seconds at power up, or at
another event/location proposed by partner and approved by EPA in advance of distribution to
subscribers; and
-	The ENERGY STAR mark must be displayed as part of the auto power down notification, or at
another event/location proposed by partner and approved by EPA in advance of distribution to
subscribers.
Note: EPA welcomes feedback on the above proposal, which allows flexibility in displaying the ENERGY STAR
mark at power up and Auto Power Down.
2. via a permanent or temporary label on product
- Label must follow guidance for certification marks provided in the ENERGY STAR Identity
Guidelines (https://www.enerqystar.qov/index.cfm?c=loqos.pt guidelines).
•	at time of installation, inform subscribers receiving an ENERGY STAR qualified STB of expected energy
savings and environmental benefits through leave-behind materials that include the ENERGY STAR mark.
Also inform users of any implications of altering the product's energy settings as well as any additional
energy saving options, such as allowing users to opt out of features that increase energy use of the box,
examples of which could be speculative recording and frequent EPG downloads, etc;
•	educate subscribers and potential subscribers about ENERGY STAR and Partner's commitment to the
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program. Outreach methods must include, but are not limited to:
1.	providing information to subscribers (via the Web site) about energy-saving features and operating
characteristics of ENERGY STAR qualified STBs; and
2.	labeling and promoting ENERGY STAR qualified STBs via the Web site.
Partner is also encouraged to distribute a dedicated mailing or bill stufferto inform subscribers about
ENERGY STAR and Partner's commitment to energy efficiency;
Note: This draft specification has been edited to make a more general requirement for service provider to (1)
ensure a STB as deployed meets ENERGY STAR requirements and is labeled as such, and (2) inform
subscribers of other possible energy savings opportunities that are available. EPA recognizes that in many, if not
the majority of cases, the STB will be configured to meet a subscriber's needs at the time of installation. EPA
continues to welcome input on the types of outreach methods to include.	
•	train sales staff, customer service representatives, and contractors performing installations on the ENERGY
STAR program. This training shall include: a) identification of ENERGY STAR qualified products within the
service provider's offerings and on the Partner's Web site, b) tips for answering questions about the
ENERGY STAR program, and c) instruction regarding how to maintain ENERGY STAR qualification at
installation;
•	provide to EPA, on an annual basis, deployment data or other market indicators to assist in determining the
market penetration of ENERGY STAR. Specifically, Partner must submit the total number of ENERGY
STAR qualified set-top boxes purchased, and total number deployed, in the commitment year (in units by
model), and the Purchased (%) and Deployed (%) as defined above, or an equivalent measurement as
agreed to in advance by EPA and Partner. Partner is also encouraged to provide ENERGY STAR qualified
deployment data segmented by meaningful product characteristics (new/refurbished, or other as relevant)
and percent of total deployments that qualify as ENERGY STAR. The data for each calendar year should be
submitted to EPA, preferably in electronic format, no later than the following March and may be provided
directly from the Partner or through a third party. The data will be used by EPA only for program evaluation
purposes and will be closely controlled. Any information used will be masked by EPA so as to protect the
confidentiality of the Partner;
•	notify EPA of a change in the designated responsible party or contacts within 30 days.
Performance for Special Distinction
In order to receive additional recognition and/or support from EPA for its efforts within the Partnership,
the ENERGY STAR PARTNER may consider the following voluntary measures and should keep EPA informed
on the progress of these efforts:
•	provide quarterly, written updates to EPA as to the efforts undertaken by PARTNER to increase availability
of ENERGY STAR qualified products, and to promote awareness of ENERGY STAR and its message;
•	consider energy efficiency improvements in company facilities and pursue benchmarking buildings through
the ENERGY STAR Buildings program;
•	feature the ENERGY STAR mark(s) on Partner Web site and in other promotional materials. If information
concerning ENERGY STAR is provided on the Partner Web site as specified by the ENERGY STAR Web
Linking Policy (this document can be found in the Partner Resources section on the ENERGY STAR Web
site at www.enerqvstar.gov). EPA may provide links where appropriate to the Partner Web site;
•	purchase ENERGY STAR qualified products. Revise the company purchasing or procurement specifications
to include ENERGY STAR. Provide procurement officials' contact information to EPA for periodic updates
and coordination. Circulate general ENERGY STAR qualified product information to employees for use
when purchasing products for their homes;
•	ensure the power management feature is enabled on all ENERGY STAR qualified monitors and computers
in use in company facilities, particularly upon installation and after service is performed;
ENERGY STAR Program Requirements for Cable, Satellite, and Telecom Service Providers: Draft 2 Version 1.0
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