BT has introduced new home-phone handsets whose power units are designed specifically to consume around half the power of previous units. This will mean lower electricity bills for homeowners and a significant reduction in CO2 emissions.
More than 90pc of the entire home-phone range supplied by BT is now more energy-efficient, at no extra cost to the consumer.
BT estimates the replacement of all its DECT cordless and fixed-line phones with more energy-efficient equivalents will result in an overall reduction in CO2 emissions of over 195,000 tonnes over the next three years – the equivalent of taking 57,000 cars off the road for a year.
Consumers can also expect to save a total of €48.5m through reduced electricity bills, according to BT.
BT has also cut down on the amount of packaging needed for each phone. This includes replacing the user guides with smaller ‘quick-start’ leaflets, while making the more detailed guides available online or on request via the phone.
The launch of the new phones marks the start of a €2.5m commitment to improve the energy efficiency of its entire home-phone range.
The first phones in BT’s new range are DECT cordless models, comprising the BT Graphite 1500 with answering machine, BT Graphite 1100, BT Freestyle 610 and BT Freestyle 650 with answering machine. They’re on sale in Tesco stores.
By Sorcha Corcoran
