After talking about ways to fight back against energy-vampires, a recent report points to what could be the biggest culprit in your home: the internet, or more specifically, devices such as routers and modems that are constantly sucking up energy in your home.
According to the Huffington Post, Americans, who currently consume approximately $1 billion in electricity per year due to their home networking devices, could be saving $330 million if they switch to energy efficient models.
The Natural Resources Defense Counsel (NRDC) recently released a report, “Cutting Energy and Costs to Connect to the Internet: Improving the Efficiency of Home Network Equipment,” examining how much constant connection costs. They found that standard modems, wireless routers, and similar devices consume as much energy as a 32-inch flat-screen TV. There are approximately 145 million in use nationwide, using approximately 8.3 billion kWH hours of electricity each year, which is equivalent to the output of three large, coal-burning power plants (500 MW). According to the NRDC, that’s “an estimated 5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year, equivalent to the pollution spewing from the tailpipes of 1.1 million vehicles.”
NRDC Senior Scientist Noah Horowitz said, “Small network devices suck roughly the same amount of energy around the clock, whether or not you are sending or receiving any data. But there are steps that manufacturers can – and should – take to make sure these devices are no longer energy vampires.”
The EPA’s ENERGY STAR® program plans to issue a specification soon that will result in a label to help customers buy efficient models and choose Internet providers offering energy-saving network equipment. According to Mr. Horowitz, many new models in 2014 will sport the label and use power-scaling technology, automatically using less power when they are in sleep or “idle” mode.