A side benefit of digital switching can be weight reduction: If they can reduce significantly the amount of metals used, vendors also may be able to shave ounces or pounds from their products. Depending on the application, a lighter product might be a plus in the eyes of a potential customer. It could also be a huge plus for manufacturers, dealers, and installers if it translates into lower shipping costs.

Some manufactures are also focusing on the outsides of their products. Boston-based Technomad Associates, for example, recently began using recycled plastic for its loudspeaker cabinets (www.technomad.com). Technomad's initiative is notable because the company says it did not have to introduce expensive, time-consuming changes to its manufacturing process in order to produce a greener product—something that could induce other equipment makers to explore green production.

For now, though, the vast majority of pro AV products aren't designed and marketed with an eye toward green. For vendors targeting that niche, that's a problem and an opportunity.

It's a problem because success often requires extra effort in educating integrators and potential customers about the benefits of green audio. Knoll Systems, for example, is working with industry groups such as the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) to build awareness of green audio products and their benefits. NuVo, meanwhile, already sees good awareness in the custom installation market.

“That constituency has a natural understanding because they tend to do automation, which is about control, energy conservation, lighting, heating, and ventilation, so they're already savvy to it,” Rodarte says. “Large commercial buildings are even more keen on energy conservation because of [its effect on] the bottom line.”

On the opportunity side, being in a niche market, at least for now, can be seen as an advantage because there are relatively few companies selling such products. That means less competition.

But as energy prices increase, so do the chances that green products eventually will evolve from being the exception to setting the rules. When that happens, will vendors that have pioneered green AV lose a key market differentiator? Not necessarily, especially vendors whose customers aren't just consumers and enterprises, but also other vendors. Take Knoll, which already has a brisk business “white labeling” products such as volume controls. As demand for green products grows, some vendors are turning to Knoll so they can meet that demand.

“We've been approached recently by other manufacturers to build amps for them because of our technology,” Hanson says.

As consumer and enterprise interest in green AV products grows, so do dubious claims, which can make it difficult for integrators and their clients to separate those products that really do save significant amounts of energy from those that use green simply as a marketing ploy.

There's also the possibility of a “green bubble,” where the number of products balloon, only to be followed by a sudden market shift as everyone jumps onto the next bandwagon. But some vendors believe that hype or no hype, concerns about energy efficiency are here to stay. “It will get old,” Hanson says. “There's a life span to this stuff. But there isn't a life span to it being an economical advantage.”

Tim Kridel is a freelance writer and analyst who covers telecom and technology based in Columbia, Mo. He can be reached at tim@timkridel.com.