lightning consoles

The NRDC conducted studies in 2008 and 2014 on the amount of energy gaming consoles consume, even when they are not being used.  The data from their studies are the source for many other articles covering this topic found on the internet. The main issue with consoles is that much of the energy is used when they are in standby.

console energy usage

The data from their the 2014 NRDC report shows that the bulk of the energy used is while the consoles sit waiting to be played. Standby mode uses the most energy.  The amounts of energy used are high.

The Xbox One consumes 233 KWh/y on average, the PS4 181 kWh/y, and the Wii U 37 kWh/y.

This “How Stuff Works” article summed up from the report:

“The­ NRDC report estimates that just by turning off our games when we’re not using them, we could save 11 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, $1 billion in energy costs and 7 million tons (more than 6 million metric tons) of carbon emissions every year.”