How much energy is that smart television in your home or that Internet modem on your desk wasting? According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), electronic devices in homes all over the world are wasting approximately $80 billion in energy due to inefficient technologies that were not developed with energy in mind.
The Paris-based IEA published a report Wednesday that stated 14 billion electronic devices, such as smart televisions, online gaming consoles and modems, used worldwide are highly beneficial to consumers but they come with a significant cost.
When left in a standby mode, which still maintains network connectivity, the online devices take up a substantial amount of energy. Last year, these devices collectively consumed 613 TeraWatt hour (TWh) of electricity. If enhanced energy efficiency methods were incorporated then the total sum of energy saved would be equivalent to shutting down 200 coal-fired power plants.
Financial experts and environmental activists often cite it as phantom power or vampire power, a process of leaving electronic devices on standby. This leads to outlandish hydro costs for millions of households that already face financial difficulties.
“Consumers are losing money in the form of wasted energy, which is leading to more costly power stations and more distribution infrastructure being built than we would otherwise need — not to mention all the extra greenhouse gases that are being emitted,” said IEA Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven in a statement. “Just by using today’s best available technology, such devices could perform exactly the same tasks in standby while consuming around 65 percent less power.”
If nothing is done then the total cost of wasted energy could rise to $120 billion in five years. In order to circumvent this growing problem, the IEA recommended the technology industry to collaborate with public policy makers and standards development organizations to adopt power-use standards akin to standards applied to major appliances.
“If we adopt best available technologies, we can minimise the cost of meeting demand as the use and benefits of connected devices grows. Just by using today’s best available technology, such devices could perform exactly the same tasks in standby while consuming around 65 per cent less power,” she added.
This IEA study comes as a Consumer Electronics Association report found that game consoles are major factors when it comes to energy consumption. It is estimated that 80 percent of energy demand from game consoles is used just to preserve network connection.
Van der Hoeven notes that the problem isn’t necessarily that devices are left in standby mode but rather the issue is that they use about the same amount of power than if they would be put on.
On the same day the IEA made its announcement the European Union implemented new standards that would prompt new computers on the European market to comply with the Ecodesign efficiency standards, which will affect roughly 70 million units and computer services sold on the market. It is believed the new program will save 12.5 TWh annually by 2020.
