Planet pays the price of home entertainment

Thanks to devices like flat screen TVs, set-top boxes and digital or DAB radios, you can enjoy all the entertainment you want, when you want, in the comfort of your own home. Working from home has become more convenient too, with laptops, printers and scanners making it easy to create an instant office.

This home based technology is proving particularly popular in the UK, with spending on consumer electronics and home IT equipment soaring to over £12 billion a year, making UK consumers the biggest spenders in Europe. ¹

But the proliferation of consumer electronics in the home comes with a high price tag in terms of climate change.

The cost of consumer electronics

By 2010, the consumer electronics sector will be the biggest single user of domestic electricity, overtaking the traditionally high consuming sectors such as, kitchen appliances and lighting. And by 2020, entertainment, computers and gadgets will account for an extraordinary 45 per cent of electricity used in our homes and will need the equivalent of 14 average sized power stations just to run them, according to the Ampere Strikes Back, a new report on consumer electronics from the Energy Saving Trust.

Although 54 per cent of people in the UK think that modern, high-tech kit is more energy efficient than older technology, the opposite is often true: newer, more sophisticated gadgets often use more electricity than the ones they've replaced. ² This contrasts with newer versions of other household appliances like fridges and washing machines that are usually more efficient as they develop and evolve.

What's more, when people buy new gadgets they don't necessarily get rid of their old ones. Rather, they use them in other rooms in the house, adding to energy consumption and contributing to climate change.

Energy intensive uses

It's not just the new gadgets themselves that use more energy - it's the way we use them. Listening to a radio through a digital TV, for example, consumes 10 to 20 times more power than listening to programmes on a digital radio. ³

The trouble with standby

Not switching equipment off completely is costly in terms of both energy use and money: research shows that games consoles tend to use almost as much energy in idle mode as they do when they're actually being used. Some gadgets must be switched off at the wall to ensure they are property switched off, for e.g. digital radios consume considerably more electricity than traditional, analogue radios when not switched off at the wall. ³

"Products are being used in ways that were undreamt of just a few years ago," comments Philip Sellwood, Chief Executive of the Energy Saving Trust.

"With trends such as listening to the radio through TV and PC on the increase, it's unlikely that consumers realise that this uses far more energy than conventional means, or that some digital radios use almost as much energy when considered switched off at the unit as they do while switched on, while a new flat-panel TV can use up to three times more electricity than a 'traditional' TV."

However, with so many gadgets in our homes, it's easy to forget about them and leave them to waste energy while on standby.

What's more, some new gadgets have to be left on constant standby to receive software downloads, while some don't even have 'off' switches, meaning that you can only switch them off from the wall socket.

How can you make a difference?

Buy energy efficient gadgets: always look for the Energy Saving Recommended logo when shopping for products, you'll find it on integrated digital televisions, set top boxes and it's soon to be found on computers. It's your guarantee that these products are the most efficient in their category. Find out how to choose energy efficient consumer electronics

Save energy when you use your equipment

• Don't leave machines on standby - switch them off at the wall when you're not using them.
• Try buying an energy saving mains controller which automatically switches off TV and PC peripherals (printers, monitors etc.) when you turn off the machine. Look for an energy saving mains controller

Get rid of your old equipment: Some retailers will recycle old equipment free of charge when you buy from them but make sure you ask about this when you purchase a new gadget. Or you can try the free recycling network, Freecycle.

For free, impartial energy saving advice, call your local Energy Saving Trust advice centre on 0800 512 012.

¹ Sourced from Consumer Electronics Market Europe 2006, GfK Marketing Services Ltd.
² ICM survey.
³ The Ampere Strikes Back (Energy Saving Trust).

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