Green Living: Save Energy on Video Games and Home Electronics

In today’s economy consumers are looking to keep cost down and save on bills. Saving money can also save energy.  Game consoles and home electronics consume a staggeringly high amount of energy and there is something that can be done about it.  The Art Institute of Washington provided some easy and efficient ways to save energy. 

Unplug the video games and consider energy efficient home game consoles.  Games consoles such as The Sony Playstation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360 operates as high-definition video players therefore, use more energy than the Nintendo Wii. Game Art & Design Instructor Yanan Wu, encourage students to consider purchasing a smaller video game system.  “If a student is on the go all the time it’d be more efficient for him/her to get a handheld gaming device like PSP or Nintendo DS since they consume much less energy than a video game console,” Wu said.

Make it a habit to turn on and off the power button on just about everything, but just turning off the power button is not enough.  Large home electronics that require light bulbs can be replaced with energy efficient watts.  Home computers should be shut down completely and be plugged into a single surge protector, away from other electronics. 

IT Tech 1 Specialist, Luis Alfaro at The Art Institute of Washington says that most people waste energy at home with their computers, laptops, and other electronic gadgets.  “These items should be turned off and not just left on idle.  “Turn off you computer before you go to bed. It saves on both energy and wear and tear,” Alfaro said.

Consider efficient devices and by utilizing existing power-saving features.  “Among video game consoles, Wii uses less power than PS3 and Xbox 360 because games on Wii are less graphic intensive,” Wu said.

Tips to saving energy in the home

• Consider rechargeable batteries.
• Pull the plug on devices when not in use or put all of your electronics and chargers on a power strip.
• If you’re in the middle of the game, save it so that you can pick up where you left off.
• Enable the automatic power down feature, which will shut down your device if it's left idle for a certain amount of time. This isn't always easy to do and you might need to install software first so click here for step-by-step instructions.
• Most large appliances store up energy when they are not in use. Often, they use more energy as they store it than they would if they were actually being used! Either unplug or shut off the power supply to these appliances when not in use.
• Let in the sun! To quickly and easily warm the house, don't forget to open the curtains. Sunlight is an often overlooked heat resource.

To learn more about The Art Institutes schools, visit www.artinstitutes.edu/nz.
 
The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu) is a system of over 40 education institutions located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.
 
The Art Institute of Washington is certified by SCHEV to operate in Virginia.