Computer game amnesia can damage your electricity bill

The Trust’s latest tests of Sony PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii show that if you play for an average of two hours per day, the electricity bill increases by just under 40 Euros per year for PlayStation 3 and just under 7 Euros for Nintendo Wii.

On the other hand, forgetting to turn off the system console after playing costs around 375 Euros per year for PlayStation 3 and about 38 Euros for Wii. It is easy to forget to switch off PlayStation 3 because of those five clicks required on the controller. However, if you go over to the system console itself, you need only push one button.

No automatic standby and no AutoPowerOff
Many electronic appliances automatically revert to standby if they haven’t been used for a certain period of time. But PlayStation 3 and Wii do not have this function. Neither is it possible to use PlayStation 3 together with an AutoPowerOff (Elspareskinne) plug bank. The AutoPowerOff can only turn off the games system console when the TV is switched off. However, the user manual states that the system console must be in standby mode before it can be turned off using the mains power switch, which means that it is impossible to turn off the power using the AutoPowerOff method.

Christian Lüders, project manager at the Trust, believes the situation could be improved: ‘We are recommending that Sony and Nintendo make changes to the functionality of their system consoles so that after use they automatically revert to standby within 30 minutes, at the most. We are also recommending that Sony makes it easier to switch off the system console and makes it compatible with an AutoPowerOff plug bank.’

Give computing power to medical research
With Sony PlayStation3 you can let medical researchers harness your machine’s computing power when it is switched on but not being used. By combining several machines’ computing power in this way, researchers are able to solve complicated arithmetical problems in significantly less time.

PlayStation 3 uses around 190 watts when working on research. On an annual basis this means that electricity consumption will be about 1,650 kWh, equivalent to around 390 Euros at just over 23 cents per kWh.

‘We think it is great that PlayStation 3 can be used for medical research, but it is unfortunate that the power consumption is so high,’ says Christian Lüders who adds: ‘Many consumers are not sure how much it will add to their electricity bill. It is far from ideal that charity should end up burdening the environment.’

Avoid using PlayStation 3 as a DVD player
PlayStation 3 can be used to play DVD films and music CDs and to browse the Internet. These are smart functions but can add a lot to the electricity bill.

‘The machine uses broadly the same amount of power, regardless of whether you are game playing, listening to music or watching films. But your PlayStation uses much more power than ordinary DVD and CD players.’

About the Trust
The Danish Electricity Saving Trust is an independent trust led by a Board appointed by the Danish Ministry of Transport and Energy. The Trust was established in 1997 with the purpose of promoting electricity savings in the household and public sectors. The Trust is financed by a special electricity savings charge of 0.0008 Euros/kWh payable by households and the public sector. The total annual proceeds amount to just under 13 Euros million.

For further information please contact:
Christian Lüders, Project Manager
The Danish Electricity Saving Trust
Tel.: +45 33 95 58 13
Mobile: +45 41 18 84 29
E-mail: chl@elsparefonden.dk