I'm sure that you have heard this phrase shouted at you at least once from your parents as you sat transfixed in front of your Super Nintendo, Play Station, X-box, etc. While your mom was trying to prevent you from a life of laziness or from destroying your eye sight, little did she know that she was also saving a significant amount of money.
A very recent study conducted by the National Resource Defense Council shows that video game consoles are major energy hogs. Nearly 40% of all homes in America contain at least one video game console (and I can probably name at least 5 friends with three or more different gaming units). According to the report, video game consoles zap 16 billion kilowatt-hours per year, which is comparable to powering all of San Diego (NRDC, 2007).
The biggest problem however, is not in simply owning a PS3 or X-box, but leaving them on when not in use, and it is estimated that about 1/2 of American owners are guilty of this energy-waster. And they are definitely paying for it:
Microsoft X-Box 360 (introduced in 2005)
This console requires 119 watts of energy when turned on and if left on, it costs about $143 per year compared to only $14 dollars per year when simply turning it off.
Sony Playstation 3 (introduced in 2006)
An even greater energy hog, this console requires 150 watts when turned on and if left on, the average family can expect to pay $160 per year (compared to only $15 when turned off).
(Both Microsoft and Sony did release more energy-friendly models in 2007, but when left on, can still cost around $103 and $134, respectively)
The Nintendo Wii was the energy savior in this study. It requires only 16 watts in active mode and even when left on, it will contribute to just a $10 increase in the annual energy bill.
The difference between active and inactive mode is substantial as you can see. (and I am very happy to see that my boyfriend's X-box is currently turned off, and now if I can just persuade him to stop playing Halo, then we can save even more energy!!) So in our current energy-savvy mindset, video console developers should put time into creating systems not just with lower energy requirements but also with automatic turn-off mechanisms (after a certain length of inactivity) and one touch power down options. Even these simple options can contribute to an overall savings of over 1 billion dollars and a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 7 million tons!!! (NRDC, 2007).
The facts and numbers I presented in this post only scratch the surface of this 30 page report. I encourage you to check out this very interesting analysis:
Lowering the Cost of Play
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Good point. And entirely separate from energy costs, there's overheating to consider in older consoles -- I'm a video game geek, and I've heard quite a few stories of people permanently damaging their systems by leaving them on for too long.
ReplyDeleteI would speculate that a Ryko Intercooler would be an energy saving attachment or the Microsoft Xbox 360. It is a small fan that attaches to the back of the unit that draws heat away from the console, thus not making it work any harder because it keeps the Xbox cool. This would save energy in the longterm, especially in extended periods of use.
ReplyDeleteKC, this reminds me of an issue that we should probably talk about: so called "vampire power", the current drawn by electronics devices when they are off. We should do the numbers.
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