Digital technology – the cause of, and solution to, all of our energy problems.

That's the gist of dueling reports released this week, though they're not that far apart on closer examination.

The first, from the International Energy Agency, says devices like cellphones, laptops and other consumer electronics now make up about 15 percent of all household power use – and that, barring new energy efficient technologies, that could double by 2030, at a cost of about $200 billion in new power bills.

But at the same time, digital technology helps save massive amounts of energy, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. America's energy use would be about 20 percent higher today if technology that helps cut commuting, air travel, and other energy-hungry habits hadn't been adopted on a wide scale since 1976, the report said.

Further improvements could reduce power bills by $1.3 trillion by 2030, if billions of dollars continue to be invested in technological advances, the report found.

The IEA study concurs to some degree. Switching over to "least life-cycle cost" technologies could keep 2030 power consumption level with today, the report said.

And using the best technologies available could actually cut growth in electricity demand in half by 2030, saving the equivalent of $130 billion in power bills and 260 gigawatts of new generation capacity, the same amount that Japan has today.

Consumer electronics giants and startups alike are looking at ways to make this happen. A host of gadgets that seek to cut "vampire" power used by devices that are off, yet still plugged into the wall socket, are being developed (see CES Plugs Green Technology).

And electronics makers are happy to talk about all the ways they're cutting power needs for equipment when it's turned on as well (see Samsung's Low-Power TV, Mobile Phone Displays and Venture Power in Japan: Green Electronics).