We were all slightly surprised when a 2009 survey of residential energy use indicated that consumer electronics had finally taken over as the biggest sources of energy waste in the home, using more electricity than refrigerators, furnaces and A/C units. Now, almost a decade later, there's still a large degree of misinformation surrounding the way that things like our TVs and smart devices factor into our higher energy bills. Home appliances are routinely blamed as the top energy drains, when in reality, new federal energy efficiency standards for manufacturing and the influence of Energy Star ratings has decreased energy use by appliances by 31% per household. Meanwhile the desktop computer, TV, gaming consoles, standard TV boxes, and routers have taken the top spots.
So what can we do about it? Seasonal changes have us all looking for opportunities to reduce our energy bills, but things like replacing your windows with energy efficient options, and upgrading your appliances to energy star certified options, don't tackle this overlooked area of energy loss. Luckily there are a few other things you can do that will increase your home's energy efficiency, and reduce some of the energy suck that is coming from consumer electronics. These tips will not only reducing your footprint, but they should also reduce your energy bills.
- Unplug your devices when they are not in use, and/or finished charging. Between 10% - 24% of consumer electronic use is wasted during sleep and off modes. New conscious products such as advanced power strips are built to alleviate this issue, which work by preventing energy from being drawn from the grid for products that are fully charged or not currently in-use.
- When you can, opt in for smaller, battery-powered options like laptops, tablets and bluetooth speakers. These devices are designed to be more energy efficient and only use energy when plugged in, making them a much more efficient option than their plugged in counterparts (desktop computers, wired speaker systems). In fact, a tablet uses 10x less energy than a laptop, and 35x less than a desktop computer.
- Upgrade to newer products. Newer items follow updated mandatory efficiency standards set by the California Energy Commission (CEC) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), which is responsible for a large amount of the energy efficiency of consumer electronics. Be sure to recycle older products, to prevent the cycle of using older inefficient technology and avoid adding to the problem by putting them in landfills.
- Make your next TV an LCD-LED TV. These versions consume up to 20% less energy than conventional LCD TVs, and, when used in "home" or "standard" setting, can also save you 15% - 30% in energy use.
Don't stream your favorite TV/movie watching services from a gaming console. Consoles consume up to 30% more energy than getting a Roku, or Apple TV streaming box, almost equaling the energy drain of a refrigerator when you forget to turn it off. Luckily, most gaming consoles now come with an option to allow auto-shut down, but you have to activate it yourself. So take the time to find that option and enable it.