Report: Vampire equipment sucking power and draining wallets

Posted on July 2, 2014
Source: Fuel Fix.com

WASHINGTON — The price people pay for always-on, around-the-clock Internet connections with modems, cell phones and laptops may be higher than they think.

According to a new report from the International Energy Agency, all of those networked electronic devices are sucking up a whole lot of electricity — mostly just to maintain their Internet connections — generating $80 billion worth of wasted power in 2013.

For the average household, the bill runs to “many tens of dollars per year, per device,” said Maria van der Hoeven, executive director of the Paris-based IEA. “This may not sound like much, but in 2013, the cumulative impact of 14 billion such devices was … unnecessary operation of over 130 mid-sized coal plants producing around 400 terawatt hours of electricity and all the pollution and carbon emissions that goes with it.”

Power vampires: Household items draining power

The problem is expected to worsen as our homes become even more wired, with network connectivity spreading to washing machines, refrigerators, thermostats and even coffee pots. In 2013, there were an average of 10 network-enabled devices for every home with two teenagers in a developed country. By 2022, according to the IEA, that count will soar to 50.

Van der Hoeven said the world’s networked devices are inefficient, consuming too much power just to maintain their connections in a “standby” mode where they are ready for action at any given moment. Many network-enabled devices — be they set-top cable boxes or printers — now draw as much power listening for signals in standby mode as when they are actively performing their primary functions.

But the IEA says that manufacturers could rein in 65 percent of that energy use by implementing best available technologies today.

“Addressing this energy waste, through technology and policy solutions already available, could lead to energy savings that correspond to the annual electricity generated by 133 mid-size coal-fired power plants (500 megawatts each), each requiring 1.4 million tons of coal per year,” the report says.

‘Unnecessary costs’

Without changes, the wasted power tied to the 50-billion network-connected devices expected to be running in 2020 could amount to $120 billion dollars in “unnecessary costs to consumers,” van der Hoeven said in unveiling the IEA’s paper.

In its 175-page report, the IEA urges a host of changes to stem the growing electricity demand of equipment in standby mode, with action needed from consumers and manufacturers, as well as policymakers.

IEA suggests that regulations could help drive efficiency improvements across the value chain, with software developers designing solutions to stem the power waste, manufacturers integrating the changes, Internet service providers deploying more efficient equipment and consumers making better choices in buying and running the devices.

Policy prescription

“In the absence of strong market drivers for energy efficiency, concerted global policy action is needed to curb escalating electricity demand from devices in network standby mode,” the IEA report says.

Older government policies that target equipment that can be simply turned “off” or “on” — without a third standby or sleep option — need to be updated to govern electricity demand for the latest technology, the group says.

Some work is already under way in the United States, where Energy Star efficiency standards for appliances and equipment typically do not include discrete limits for different power modes and instead generally set a standard for total energy consumption. There are specific standby power requirements for some devices, such as microwave ovens.

Program: Texas school partners with Microsoft for energy efficiency research

After the U.S. Department of Energy drafted provisions to add set-top boxes and network devices to one of its efficiency programs, the industry in 2013 voluntarily reached an agreement to rein in the devices’  power use. Under the agreement with the government,  providers and manufacturers, 90 percent of all new set-top boxes purchased and deployed after 2013 must meet the government’s Energy Star 3.0 efficiency standards.

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