Gamers Alert! Simple Energy Saving for Game Consoles

Today we bring you an energy efficiency tip for those who keep a PS3 or XBox gaming system in their home.  Game consoles are one of your home's most surprising energy hogs, often drawing more energy than your refrigerator when in use.  Let's use the 2007 Sony PS3 as an example.  A 2010 study by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) found that the average user had the system in active mode for almost six hours per day.  If that isn't enough, most users were also found (according to the folks at the National Resources Defense Council) to leave the game in idle mode, rather than shutting down the system, when they were not playing.  Here we find the greatest inefficiency in the system.  In idle mode, the system uses more power than active mode.  This version of the PS3 uses about 150 watts of electricity while in active mode, and 153 watts while in idle mode.  What does this mean to you?  A user who never turned the system fully off (using only active and idle modes) would use about 1,500 kWh per year.  By comparison, the average new Energy Star rated refrigerator uses about one third as much power. 

Even newer versions of the gaming systems, although more efficient, can result in huge energy costs.  The same formula for energy use, applied to the 2010 Microsoft XBox 360, would result in an annual usage of 800 kWh, still more than that new refrigerator.  Among popular gaming consoles, only the Nintendo Wii comes in with relatively low energy use, with only 105 kWh of power consumption per year. 

So what can you do about it?  When considering the purchase of a system, keep in mind the operating costs.  As illustrated here, the difference between the 2006 Wii (105 kWh) and the 2007 PS3 (1,500 kWh) could be as much as $140 per year in electricity cost.   Think about how long you plan to own and use the system, and this can really add up.  Second, power down the systems fully when not in use.  Most systems allow users to alter the settings to automatically shut the console off after a certain period of inactivity.  Check the user manual and activate this setting.  Finally, consider putting the game console and all its surrounding electronics (television, DVD or Blue Ray player, stereo, etc) on a single power strip, and use that to turn the system on and off.  I use this approach in my home, and have the whole media setup on a remote control power strip.  It allows easy on/off control, and minimizes the electricity use when no one is around.