Re: Unplug charger from power supply to save energy
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20227095.800-powerhungry-gadgets-must-learn-to-diet.html
Power-hungry gadgets must learn to diet
* 24 May 2009
* Magazine issue 2709. Subscribe and get 4 free issues.
* For similar stories, visit the Energy and Fuels Topic Guide
COME 2030, electronic gadgets will gobble three times as much electricity as they do today, requiring 280 gigawatts of new generating capacity, unless we do something about it.
A new study by the International Energy Agency (IEA) reports that devices from cellphones to personal computers consume 15 per cent of all household power, and that figure is climbing rapidly.
Energy consumption could, however, be reined in using existing technologies. "If we were to use the most efficient technology available, instead of doubling or tripling energy consumption we could hold it almost flat," says Paul Waide of the IEA.
The efficiency of cellphones could be improved by updating the way that chargers convert power from AC to DC, for instance. But such devices cost slightly more to make, so government regulation or incentives will be required to bring them onto the market, the IEA says.
One suggestion is that the law should limit standby power to 1 watt for all electronic devices. A 2007 study by the IEA found that 20 per cent of US televisions used more than 2 watts and one model drew 50 watts while on standby.
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