Okay, it’s time to get serious for a moment folks. No not
fear of imminent nuclear Armageddon serious, but still serious enough. What I’m
about to talk about is another kind of power: electrical. Now, it’s always best
to sprinkle a little sugar on first before you bite into the bland, tasteless
truth (kind of like Shredded Wheat). So here it is; energy use is on the
decline. Huzzah, we’ve done it! Cue the tickertape-less parade…no, no scratch
that. For while dishwashers and refrigerators have been cutting back on energy
consumption, consumer electronics, such as those feature on this very site,
have been growing unimpeded. So what’s to be done about it?
Well, this disappointing data was compiled by the
International Energy Agency in a report titled “Gadgets and Gigawatts.”
According to the agency the relative difference in efficiency between
dishwashers and cell phones is due, in part, to government intervention. With
strong incentives pushing companies to develop better, more energy efficient
appliances consumers now have a wide array of eco-friendly options. And given
the impact of a inefficient fridge over an efficient one on one’s electrical
bill, it’s a no brainer sales pitch. Switch to pocket sized gadgets and not too
many consumers are comparing the Zune and the iPhone on the basis of power
consumption. But the numbers suggest that we should be doing otherwise.
Fifteen percent of all residential electricity consumption is
due to consumer electronics and telecommunications. And with power use expected
to double by 2020 and triple by 2030, it’s time to start micromanaging. However,
as the report notes such small-scale awareness only produces visible benefits
in the large scale. But convincing an individual consumer to consider what will
appear to be a negligible savings on their energy bill is no easy task. And so
it may once again come down to how active the government is going to be.
In Canada
an amendment was recently passed allowing for governmental regulations on how
much energy an electronic device can draw when turned off but still plugged in.
According to Natural Resources Canada estimates that of the total electricity
consumed by home electronics a whopping 40 percent is consumed while these
devices are off. And as for ye olde standby mode? It can account for nearly 10
percent of an average household’s electricity costs.
