Defeating the ‘Boss’ In Video Game Energy Use

Have you noticed your electric bill going up steadily ever since you got that new PlayStation? Maybe you’re getting a little less sleep, now that the new Guitar Hero World Tour is out? While we can’t help with your drowsiness at work (coffee is a good start), we can help you save some cash.

The Impact

A recent study by the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) and Ecos Consulting found that the video game consoles in American homes are consuming much more energy than anticipated.

According to the study, 40 percent of American homes have at least one video game console. These units consume an estimated 16 billion kWh annually – enough to power the city of San Diego for a year.

Less power doesn't equal less fun

The study measured the power consumption of recently released gaming systems like Microsoft’s Xbox 360, the Nintendo Wii and the Sony PlayStation 3. The results showed that the Wii uses one-seventh as much power as the PlayStation 3 and one-ninth as much energy as the Xbox during gaming.

NRDC did note that some systems require more power to generate their graphics, and that Sony and Microsoft “continue to optimize their systems after their initial launch, resulting in significant energy savings.”

Why is Console Energy Use Going Up?

While defeating the henchmen of your favorite games is always a rewarding feeling, overtaking the super-villain, Phantom Power Drain, is the ultimate conquest in green gaming. Per NRDC, here are a few challenges in your way (sorry, we don’t have any cheat codes for these obstacles):

1. The overall number of video game consoles in U.S. households is increasing, with sales growing approximately 8 percent per month over the last seven years. In 2007, approximately 17.5 million video game consoles were sold in the U.S.
2. Increases in the average power consumption of consoles in “active” and “idle” modes are the trend for new generations of video game consoles.
3. Power management features are not easily accessible to users or do not exist on certain video game consoles.
4. Many video game consoles are left on for extended periods of time in Idle mode. Some users simply forget to turn the video game console off, while others leave them to save their progress.
5. Video game console manufacturers continue to offer additional entertainment features, such as playing movies and connecting to the Internet.
6. U.S. consumers often use their video game consoles as high-definition videodisc players. However, the consoles utilize anywhere from four to seven times as much power as stand-alone Blu-ray disc players and as much as 24 times the power of a stand-alone DVD player.

NRDC and Ecos estimate that by incorporating more user-friendly power management features, 11 billion kWh of electricity could be saved annually, knocking $1 billion off our nation’s energy bill and cutting seven million tons of CO₂. This reduction in carbon savings is “equal to the global warming pollution from all the cars on the road in San Jose, our nation’s high-tech capital.”

What’s the Plan?

ENERGY STAR has already begun setting guidelines for energy efficient gaming consoles. These units must:

• Use less than one watt during “off” mode
• Less than five watts in stand-by
• Automatically power down after sitting idle for one hour

This new version of the ENERGY STAR specifications is due out in July of 2009, with the U.S. EPA looking to apply these standards in July of 2010.

The NRDC also recommended the creation of an automatic power-down feature, following a defined period of inactivity. This, NRDC said, would bring the greatest savings in annual energy consumption, especially since an estimated 50 percent of users leave their machines on all the time.

In the Meantime…

If you think turning off your system really won’t make that big of a difference in the long run, here’s another way to think about it: “A Sony PlayStation 3 or Microsoft Xbox 360 left on 24 hours per day, seven days per week will consume as much electricity each year as two new refrigerators.”

While you may not have the ability to purchase a new gaming console right now, or have the options for automatic power-down, the simple act of turning off your game system can save you big in the long run.