Are gadgets just a waste of energy?
Love them or loathe them, these days we seem to be surrounded by gadgets. The ubiquity of computers, TVs, mobile phones and MP3 players means that even the most determined Luddite is likely to find the odd example slipping through their defences. And according to a report out today, they’re most likely to make themselves known through your electricity bill.
The Ampere Strikes Back, released by the Energy Saving Trust, says that while workaday domestic appliances such as fridges, washing machines and so on are becoming more efficient, the more glamorous technology typically found in the living room has become less so.
Wasteful standby modes and the disappearance of mechanical off switches are two of the main problems, but in some cases it seems the technology itself has become more power-hungry. For example, the report says that a traditional analogue radio has an average power consumption of two watts, while a modern digital radio uses 8.5 watts.
This might not sound like a big difference, but Ofcom says that at the end of last year, only 16% of households were listening digitally. With around 45 million regular radio listeners, any switchover like the one planned for TV could produce a big rise in electricity demand.
It’s not all bad news for gadget lovers, though. Apparently, products that combine many functions into one could lead to fewer devices which need less power overall. With that in mind, anyone who really must have the latest thing is probably already working on an excuse to buy an iPhone.
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Originally posted 2007-07-05 18:38:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
