Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Wednesday, 04 June 2008 12:20
Opinion and Analysis
Page 1 of 3
Wow, leaving your Playstation 3 on 24x7 for a year and not even using
it could cost AUD $250 in electricity alone – was your mother right
when she said to turn things off at the wall?!
The Australian Consumer Association, and its publication CHOICE magazine, regularly tests all manner of consumer products from food to whitegoods and more to see who lives up to their claims and which product is the best in any given category... and has issued its
latest warning.
CHOICE has exposed what mothers the world over know – leaving devices on, even if they’re in standby mode, still chews up power, with the shocking news that some video games consoles can use a lot more power than much larger appliances – five times more than a “medium-sized fridge”.
The example given is that the PS3 uses nearly AUD $250 of electricity in a single year if left on constantly but not used, with the Xbox 360 not far behind. Presuambly, if the consoles ARE used, which is usually what you buy a console for, you’d use even more electricity, making your yearly electricity bills grow even larger.
So, what is CHOICE magazine doing about this aside from reminding people not to leave their gadgets on 24x7 or at the very least ensure that the ‘standby’ mode is left on, if turning devices off at the wall isn’t an option?
CHOICE wants an “energy-efficiency” star rating to be made available for modern technology, much like it is mandatory for whitegoods to display such ratings.
Sadly, although an “energy star” program has existed for some time to ensure some electronic technologies do indeed go into some sleep mode, an overall rating of energy usage is not in place for technology, with CHOICE saying “consumers have been left in the dark”.
CHOICE media spokesman Christopher Zinn says: “While we hope no one actually leaves their games console on for a whole year 24/7, the figures are indicative of just how much electricity these small devices can chew their way through”.
So, is the Australian Federal Government doing anything about it? And what does it cost to leave your TV or computer on all the time? Has the question over whether it’s best to leave your computer on constantly – or turn it off everyday – finally be answered? Please read on to page 2.
