How Much is Your Console Actually Costing You?

An article today from the Natural Resource Defense Council discusses the cost of leaving your console online when not actively playing.  According to the report, a staggering fifty percent of all gamers leave their consoles on when not in use.  This can lead to some pretty extreme costs, as you can see from the chart at right.

Those of you who are folding at home on your PlayStation 3 are taking the worst hit, swallowing an extra $145 worth of energy costs every year.  While we are no cheapskates around here, that is a pretty massive pill to swallow when you are already having to fork out $60 dollars for a single game!  Take a look at how much your console is costing you, are you surprised by what you see?

The only console that seems to be even slightly energy conscious is the Wii, but I am assuming that it is because it doesn’t harness near the horsepower of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.  That said, there is a significant difference between the the low and high ends of the console spectrum.

NRDC recommends that the best way to curb these extreme cost is to simply turn off your console when it is not in use.  As simple as that may sound, some insist on leaving their consoles on 24-7.  For these unique individuals, they recommend that you activate all of the power saver features that each console offers in its settings.  This may be a safe method to not only protect your pocketbook, but the enviroment as well.

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Mild mannered programmer by day; gamer, podcaster, and journalist by night. Blake heads up the Reviews department at Games Are Evil, and also co-produces the EvilCast NewsBrief with fellow gaming junkie Cory Appleton.