You’d think the bombardment of HDTVs, cell phones, computers and video game consoles would make residential power usage skyrocket, but all-around power efficiency should cause it to plateau. Government-subsidized home energy savings programs and power-savvy consumers are among the reasons power usage is expect to decline over the next decade.

The AP cites a study by the electricity industry-funded Electric Power Research Institute, which projects residential power usage to start declining by 0.5 percent a year. The trend would reverse the 2.5 percent annual increases from 1980 to 2000 and 2 percent from 2000 to 2010.

Overall power use is expected to continue to climb 0.7 percent annually over the next 35 years, compared to the 2.5 percent annual increases in the previous 40 years.

Shocker: Power demand from US homes is falling [AP via Fark]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.