Computers, television, and other consumer electronics will soak up nearly half of the electricity used in British homes by 2020, a report released this week says. According to the Energy Saving Trust (EST), this will overtake lighting and refrigeration, previously the largest domestic power drain.

In its report, “The Ampere Strikes Back,” the U.K. government-funded energy conservation group recommends the purchase of laptop computers rather than desktops. The desktops it tested used from 71 to 221 watts in idle mode, whereas laptops used only from 8 to 36 watts.

The report also found a wide variation in efficiency among desktop PCs. The most efficient model tested would use 383 kWh per year, while the least efficient would use 1193 kWh per year.

Interestingly, digital televisions and radios use more power than their analog counterparts, the Trust said. The report also noted that families could save more than $50 per year just by unplugging “power bricks” when the devices they power are not being used. Sadly, few “wall-warts” in use today use switching technology, due to added production costs. Inexpensive “Kill-a-Watt” meters can help users locate leaky power supplies.

For more details on the EST report, see this Reuters article. The complete, 20-page report is available for free download from the EST website, here (PDF file).

Embedded developers to the rescue?

Former Vice President Al Gore Former Vice President Al Gore recently told Embedded Systems Conference keynote attendees in San Jose, Calif. that energy-efficient IT systems of the future — many containing embedded processors — can help lessen power consumption and mitigate global warming. “Embedded systems can be the key part of this,” Gore said. “We are now embedding more and more intelligence into everything — with the exception of public policy,” he joked.

Separately, Intel CEO Paul S. Otellini has said the company's future micro-architectures will deliver “factor of 10” improvements in either energy consumption, or performance, depending on the desired application. A new category of ultra energy-efficient “handtop PC” devices will weigh less than a pound and draw less than one Watt, Otellini claimed in 2005.

Similarly, processor-maker Via Technologies recently debuted a “carbon-free” x86-compatible desktop processor, which was accompanied by a “Clean Computing Initiative” aimed at offsetting the chip's environmental cost.

Additionally, several makers of Linux-based thin-client devices have begun touting their devices as environmentally-friendly alternatives to standard desktop PCs. Meanwhile, several companies are working to build Linux-based network computers for home users, including Zonbu, Linutop, and Thinteknix.

 
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