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Gizmos' Energy Draw Alarms Experts

Electronic gadgets consume 15% of household energy

By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff

Posted Sep 19, 2009 7:37 PM CDT
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(Newser) – All around the house, electronic gadgets are blinking, buzzing, computing—and drawing on an immense amount of energy, the New York Times reports. Worldwide, they take up 15% of household power, and will likely consume three times as much by 2029, making it harder to combat global warming. Two hundred and thirty nuclear plants would be needed to fuel that demand, the International Energy Agency says.

Most experts say regulations are needed to limit gadgets' energy draw, but manufacturers have resisted such mandates. A federal attempt to limit the power draw of TVs—flat-screens are the biggest energy offender—died in the 1990s due to industry opposition. But Congress has done it before, limiting the energy use of appliances like refrigerators and washers. “Standards are one of the few ways to cheaply go after big chunks of energy savings,” one advocate says.

Electronic gadgets like cell phones, computers, and flat-screen televisions are drawing an enormous amount of energy.
Electronic gadgets like cell phones, computers, and flat-screen televisions are drawing an enormous amount of energy.   (Shutterstock)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 17 comments
WallyEFunk
Sep 21, 2009 2:04 AM CDT
GOOOD come back ,better then saying OH YA...
JoeQ
Sep 20, 2009 10:12 AM CDT
Wally. Good idea on the attic fan. I need one of those myself myself. Looked at a solar powered fan but ... would prefer one that just plain works reliably for years and years. I'm not convinced of the life expectancy of the fancy photovoltaic systems plus it costs too much. A good sturdy exhaust fan, a good rugged thermostat, and house electricity. I do have one of those passive vents on a shed that spins and works great and keeps it below 90 in the summer. I do have a simple and cheap solar lighting system on the shed; uses a motorcycle battery and 12v RV lights. Works great and is far cheaper than putting in a sub-panel just for a light. The problem with a lot of this environmental conservation stuff is that they forget to "keep it simple, stupid". Simple and cheap improvements like your attic fan can have a big impact.
Spudsy
Sep 20, 2009 7:22 AM CDT
Republicans just keep telling us to "drill, baby". They don't tell us that that is a deadly poison.

 
cell phones • global warming • flat screen TVs • computer • energy conservation • electronic device

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