Digital TV to push up household bills
HOUSEHOLD electricity bills could soar after Britain switches to digital television, experts have warned.
The obligatory move from analogue signals to digital is scheduled to take place in 2012. Many set-top boxes are not compliant with EU codes on energy, so use excessive amounts of energy, consultant Chris Goodwell of strategic consultancy Enders Analysis told a convention in Oxford.
The price of the broadcasting revolution will be £7bn over the next 20 years. About £3.5bn of that relates to consumers' electricity bills - an average of £17 extra each year to British households, he said.
He added that the cost of installing or upgrading aerials for households would be £865m. He estimates that around 12% of homes would require new aerials.
The BBC, fund by licence-fee payers, also faces a large bill for digital TV. The full cost of switching from analogue to digital is likely to run into hundreds of millions of pounds. This will include upgrading transmission masts and a nationwide advertising campaign to inform consumers of the changes.
The BBC is committed to playing a lead role in the transition to digital broadcasting.
