Stop wasting money!

[moycon]

http://green.yahoo.com/blog/the_conscious_...efficiency.html

 

Interesting article.

 

Video game consoles consume a "staggeringly high" amount of energy, according to a report the Natural Resources Defense Council is releasing on Wednesday. How much electricity do they use each year? About as much as it takes to power the city of San Diego.

 

Wow

 

I'd take the thing as a whole with a grain of salt though after reading this...

 

Microsoft Xbox 360 ranks a close second. If you shut it down when you're not playing a game or watching a movie, it costs about $11 to operate annually. Leaving it on continuously will cost you $103.

 

Complete and utter bullshit.

Everyone knows if you leave a 360 on continuously it'll brick in a day or two!!

[iswitt]

Video game consoles consume a "staggeringly high" amount of energy, according to a report the Natural Resources Defense Council is releasing on Wednesday. How much electricity do they use each year? About as much as it takes to power the city of San Diego.

 

I assume they are talking about the power it takes to run one Xbox360 before it conks?

[moycon]

I'm not sure what they mean. Do they mean just leaving the PS3 or 360 plugged in?

I leave them plugged in constantly...I don't however leave the power on except when I'm playing.

[Atarifever]

I'm not sure what they mean. Do they mean just leaving the PS3 or 360 plugged in?

I leave them plugged in constantly...I don't however leave the power on except when I'm playing.

Don't all electric devices use some power when they're just plugged in? I always assumed that was why it was reccomended to unplug everything when going on vacation. And in standby mode I always assumed modern consoles ate power like computers in standby mode.

Edited November 20, 2008 by Atarifever

[+remowilliams]

I'm not sure what they mean. Do they mean just leaving the PS3 or 360 plugged in?

They mean just leaving it actively on but not running a game, which would be stupid for a number of reasons.

 

The 360 for instance draws about 2 watts in 'power off standby', while the Wii draws about 10 watts.

[moycon]

I'm not sure what they mean. Do they mean just leaving the PS3 or 360 plugged in?

They mean just leaving it actively on but not running a game, which would be stupid for a number of reasons.

 

The 360 for instance draws about 2 watts in 'power off standby', while the Wii draws about 10 watts.

 

Funny that's not mentioned in the article eh? LOL

[maibock]

How much electricity do they use each year? About as much as it takes to power the city of San Diego.

 

I wonder if they factored any consoles being in San Diego?

[jbanes]

You can read the actual report here:

 

http://www.nrdc.org/energy/consoles/files/consoles.pdf

 

And the Wii in Standby mode is still more efficient (by far!) than using the 360 and PS3 occasionally. As the report shows, you could leave the Wii on 24x7 and still make the other two consoles look bad.

[+remowilliams]

What they forgot to mention is that if you have a PS3 or 360 and a Wii - the Wii will be the least expensive to operate annually, because you'll never turn it on.

[jbanes]

Only in the houses where they smoke money. Once high on green fumes, the fun factor just drains right out.

[shadow460]

That's why you use a PSP. You don't ever have to plug it in since it runs on batteries, right?

[hex65000]

I heard a snippet of this on NPR a couple of days ago. It's true that if a device is plugged in, then it's using power. I have a majority of my systems on a power strip that I shut off when I'm done playing so my older-gen consoles spend more time off than on. Of course, there is the offset that I'm putting 4 machines in standby mode and powering one more on. I may have to rethink how I do that.

 

Also, I found this little snippet buried on Amazon's gaming blog... How to navigate the menus to have the system auto-power off after so much inactivity. I suspect that's the focus of where they want people to stop wasting power.

 

PlayStation 3:

Settings > system settings > power save settings > system auto-off option > "after 1 hour" recommended for max energy savings > select additional power saving options to your liking.

 

Xbox 360:

My Xbox > system settings > console settings > shutdown > auto off > enable.

The other interesting question is concerning "Gamer behavior". Is there a demographic of people who just leave their machines on full-tilt all day? Don't wanna wait for the reload screen of a game of Madden? No problem, turn the TV off and walk away? It's plausible. The guy in the radio interview talked about creating a "hibernate mode" for future generation consoles. Heck, 2 out of 3 current-gen consoles already have hard drives. That's the storage issue addressed. A hibernate mode on the OS level would probably work and allow for effective pausing of a game as needed. Of course, because the tool is there, doesn't mean that anyone will think to use it.

 

Oh yeah, Post #1000!

 

Hex.

[ Stitch that duckie! ]

[Artlover]

I'm not sure what they mean. Do they mean just leaving the PS3 or 360 plugged in?

I leave them plugged in constantly...I don't however leave the power on except when I'm playing.

To me, it seems pretty clear to me they are talking comparing turned off/stand by - vs. - actively turned on.

 

With that said, what is the big news here? Yes, an electrical device that is turned on uses more electricty then it would if it's turned off. This just in, if you leave your car parked in the driveway and don't use it, it uses less gas then if you drive it every day.

 

But what this should be bring to light is the fact that so many modern devices still use electricity at all even when they are turned off. Sometimes, quite a lot of it relatively speaking.

 

I heard a snippet of this on NPR a couple of days ago. It's true that if a device is plugged in, then it's using power. I have a majority of my systems on a power strip that I shut off when I'm done playing so my older-gen consoles spend more time off than on.

Same here. All my consoles are on a power strip, so the leechy little bastards aren't sucking up power when not in use.

 

Of course, there is the offset that I'm putting 4 machines in standby mode and powering one more on. I may have to rethink how I do that.

But typicaly they still draw less in stand by then when on, so you're still saving in the end.

 

You could use one of those old school computer power manager things. Those power strips that you sould set under the monitor and had switches for each outlet. Do they even still make those things? I personally think it's overkill tho, unless you play A LOT.

 

The other interesting question is concerning "Gamer behavior". Is there a demographic of people who just leave their machines on full-tilt all day? Don't wanna wait for the reload screen of a game of Madden? No problem, turn the TV off and walk away? It's plausible.

Sure it's possible. I've done simmilar things myself. I'll be playing a game, but have to stop to do something else for a while, but can't stop playing because it doesn't let me save exactly where I'm at and don't want to have to restart the entire level from my last check point. So if I can I pause or go to the menu, turn the tv off and do what I need to do.

 

Sometimes, I'll be playing a game while on Atariage. During a loading screen, I pop back here real quick, and get wrapped up in a reply after the game is ready for me. So I pause the game and finish up here. Which is easier said then done, and an hour later I'm finally getting back to the game.

 

It happens.

[+HammR25]

I have to admit I'm not going to worry about $1 a month to run my PS3 or 360.

[moycon]

To me, it seems pretty clear to me they are talking comparing turned off/stand by - vs. - actively turned on.

 

Explain to me who this article applies to? Who leaves their equipment turned on 24x7 besides maybe....no-one.

As opposed to folks who leave their equipment on in standby....everyone.

Hey here's another shocker for you guys. If you leave your water running 24x7 over the course of a year you could fill up a lake and your water bill will be $500,000!!!

Edited November 21, 2008 by moycon

[Atarifever]

To me, it seems pretty clear to me they are talking comparing turned off/stand by - vs. - actively turned on.

 

Hey here's another shocker for you guys. If you leave your water running 24x7 over the course of a year you could fill up a lake and your water bill will be $500,000!!!

What are you charged by the litre? Yikes. Glad I live in water-rich Newfoundland. I pay a flat rate, so I could basically fill the bathtub everytime I wanted a drink and it wouldn't change a cent. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go run the tap for some ambient background noise.

Edited November 21, 2008 by Atarifever

[Artlover]

Explain to me who this article applies to? Who leaves their equipment turned on 24x7 besides maybe....no-one.

My PC stays on 24/7. My Xbox's running Linux stay on 24/7. More then once I left my gaming Xbox on while I went to work because I couldn't save where I was at.

 

What are you charged by the litre? Yikes. Glad I live in water-rich Newfoundland. I pay a flat rate

Yes. Here in the States, we're generally charged by usage.

[moycon]

My PC stays on 24/7. My Xbox's running Linux stay on 24/7. More then once I left my gaming Xbox on while I went to work because I couldn't save where I was at.

 

Read that link I posted. The article is about the Wii, The PS3 and the 360. Not your PC, not your hacked Xbox running Linux.

Artlover. It's like this, people generally don't leave their game systems on 24x7. It's a simple fact.

This is just another example of someone writing an article with a shocking headline to try and make things sound worse than they are.

Just look at the articles on the economy clogging the news these days.

According to them we break some all time low record daily and we're all days away from eating dog-food...or each other.

Please don't try to lamely convince anyone this article applies to hardly anyone. 99% of people don't leave a 360 turned on for a year.

Hell they couldn't, it would melt.

[iswitt]

I like how they this article is only about consoles, like they're the only energy using electronics in the household. They could also talk about water heaters and how much energy they use in comparison (and just as a piece of advice, buy an insulation blanket for that thing! It saved me some dough). Or about front loading dryers, ovens, computers, and just any piece of equipment one might have in their house. It's no secret that playing a game console uses energy... it's plugged in to an effin' power outlet. Let me repeat: POWER outlet.

[godslabrat]

I like how they this article is only about consoles, like they're the only energy using electronics in the household.

 

This is yet another article that takes a few established facts and extrapolates the hell out of them without looking at the bigger picture. Yes, electronics use electricity, even when they're plugged in, but it's not like consoles are the most power-hungry devices around. Like iswitt was saying, you get far more savings out of making your water heater, water pumps, furnace and air conditioning more efficient than by choosing a PS3 over a Wii, or vice versa.

 

Crap like this makes me call myself a "conservationist" instead of an "environmentalist". The former seem to take a practical approach to humans interacting with their planet... the latter just brings to mind people who won't be happy until we're all back in mud huts.

 

Edit:

From the article:

Always turn the system off when you are done playing a game or watching a movie. Don't assume that just because you turn off the TV that your console shuts down too. It doesn't. If you're in the middle of the game, save it so that you can pick up where you left off.

[Emphasis mine] Look, I don't want to be insulting, but if you don't know basic crap like that, you need a more fundamental understanding of how your own home electronics work. Everything else is way over your head.

 

The researchers found that about 50% of the people who use video game consoles leave them on for an extended period of time

 

I call bullshit.

Edited November 22, 2008 by godslabrat

[shadow460]

I hardly ever turn off all power to my consoles, and one of my PCs stays running 24/7. Yup, I've got power strips, UPSes, and whatnot but I hardly use 'em. I do have a water heater blanket wrapped around my AC, does that count?

[Artlover]

The researchers found that about 50% of the people who use video game consoles leave them on for an extended period of time

 

I call bullshit.

But what is "an extended period of time"?

 

I am guilty of this to some degree. There hasn't been a time yet where my 360 hasn't been on 1-2+ hours longer then I spent actually play the thing.

 

I want a drink.

<pauses game>

<gets drink>

Oh, I still gotta do the dishes. Well, while I'm in here...

<washes dishes>

Ya know, I'm kinda hungry, now that I have some clean pots, I think Ill cook something.

<cooks dinner>

<reaches for rag>

Damn it, forgot to do the laundry.

<does laundry>

Since I'm outside anyways, might as well play with my dogs.

<plays with dogs>

 

Usualy, if I KNOW I'm going to be busy a while, I do shut off the TV, but leave the console running. Why. Well, because the TV is using a hell of a lot of power too, for absolutly no reason if I'm not there looking at it. Atleast the 360 is doing something - holding my exact place in the game till I get back to it. I'm saving less then if I turned off both, but I'm saving more then leaving them both on.

[godslabrat]

But what is "an extended period of time"?

 

I am guilty of this to some degree. There hasn't been a time yet where my 360 hasn't been on 1-2+ hours longer then I spent actually play the thing.

 

I think everybody is to some degree. I will leave a game paused to go fix a snack or hit the loo-- I believe that is its intended purpose. The longest I will leave it paused normally would be to go take a shower. I have, on occasion, forgotten and went to sleep... but I would say that's less than 5 times over the past 20 years. With my setup as it is now, it is very easy to turn off all the lights in the room and check to see if everything is off or in standby.

 

Everybody goofs, but the point I'm making is that this article implies over half the people who play games leave their systems paused or idle for hours on end, needlessly. If that's the point it's making, it's dead wrong. If that's not the point it's making, the article is being very irresponsible in how it interprets the facts at hand.

[moycon]

I am guilty of this to some degree. There hasn't been a time yet where my 360 hasn't been on 1-2+ hours longer then I spent actually play the thing.

 

I do the same thing really.

The article doesn't really give you much legit information if you ask me.

Either you leave it on 24x7 and you waste enough power to light up Africa or you only leave it on when you play and it costs you $11 a year. LOL

 

I think it was simply a shock story written to sound terrible and catch your attention so you'll read their lame article even if the actual information included is crap. Kinda like how every summer if someone gets attacked by a shark a couple dozen shark attack articles pop up warning you of the dangers of sharks and making it sound like every time a persons foot touches the water a shark bites them. In reality....more people die from bee stings in a week then the combined total of a years worth of shark attacks. I don't see any articles warning of the dangers of sniffing flowers though.

[liveinabin]

It's not a good article, but I think the reasoning is sound. The 'standby' problem with electronics is one that really needs to be addressed. Worldwide, a lot of power is being completely wasted and it's, mostly, from non renewable sources.

 

It does annoy me that the Wii can't really be turned off properly (short of pulling the mains lead out). Sure, it doesn't take a lot of power, but it all adds up, especially when my TV doesn't really turn off either and, while my cinema amp will fully power down, it'll lose all it's settings in a week if not powered back on.

 

Bloody annoying, potentially expensive and, more importantly, a waste of electricity on what are basically toys.

 

At least the PS3 got it right in this regard, even if the switch is right round the back.