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Game console power consumption and electricity cost

Game consoles are popular household devices that serve multiple purposes beyond gaming, such as streaming and DVD/Blu-ray playback.

And given their frequent use, it’s important to understand the power consumption and associated electricity cost.

How much power does a game console use

The power console of a game console will depend on the model and how it is used.

For example, older game consoles like a Play Station 3 or an Xbox 360 use between 170 and 190 Watts of power.

And newer game consoles like the Play Station 4 or Xbox One use around 150 Watts of power.

As shown below, we have searched for the power consumption of a PS4 and have got the details from the manufacturer’s website.

game console power consumption

According to the specifications, this game console uses 158,2 Watts (W) per hour.

158,2 W / 1000 = 0,1582 kWh

But consider that nowadays, game consoles are also used for streaming media or playing DVDs, so the power consumption may significantly differ depending on how the game console is used.

If you want to find out the power consumption of your specific game console, searching for it on the manufacturer’s website is best.

Game console electricity cost calculator

Once you know the power consumption, the calculator below can be used to estimate the power consumption and the electricity cost of a game console over a period of time.

You just need to adjust the values in the PARAMETERS section to your requirements and the calculator will automatically display the RESULTS section.

 

For example:

> If you have a game console that uses 158 Watts (W)

> You use your game console 4 hours a day and 320 days per year

> You are paying 0,217 euros (or dollars, or pounds, or…) per every kWh you consume 

You will be paying around 44 euros (or dollars, or pounds, or…) per year in electricity costs.

How much does electricity cost

If you don’t know how much you are paying per kWh, you should be able to find the cost per kWh on your electricity contract or in one of the electricity bills.

how much does electricity cost

Alternatively, if you don’t have access to your contract or your electricity bills, this website does show the electricity cost per country.

Home appliances and devices electricity calculators

A few other examples from our ‘Electricity usage and electricity cost calculators‘ page that may be of your interest:

Game console electricity usage monitor

Suppose you want to know the exact electricity usage of an air conditioner. In that case, your best option is to use a plug-in power meter to measure the power consumption and electricity cost. 

Clicking on the image below will redirect you to the Amazon page, where you can look at the specifications of the power meter we use for our measurements.

plug in power meter

All of our house appliances and devices like the washing machine, the dishwasher, the TV, or the printer are plugged into a wall socket. 

So, with a power consumption meter, we can determine how much electricity our appliances or devices are using, and, more importantly, we can measure the electricity usage over time.

If you want to find out how you can use a plug-in power meter to measure your electricity usage and electricity cost, have a look at this YouTube video.

Plug in power meter

How to lower the electricity bill of a game console

If you are concerned that your game console may be using too much electricity, here are some tips that you can apply to reduce electricity usage:

1.- Enable the power-saving settings

Your game console is probably set up to stay in standby mode, waiting for your commands. 

While on standby, your game console will use electricity, even if not in use. This is, your game console will use electricity while you are sleeping, away from home, or just cooking or having a shower.

Some game consoles are optimized to use very little electricity while on standby, while others are not. 

The best would be to find out the electricity usage of your game console while it is not in use. This can be done by looking for the specifications on the manufacturer’s website or using a plug-in power meter.

Standby power

2.- Turn off the controllers and the peripherals

The controllers and peripherals, like the XBox Kinect, use electricity if not turned off. It may not be that much, but every little one counts.

If you want to know how much a little can add up to a lot, look to the next section on this page.

3.- Keep your console updated

Game console manufacturers are becoming more conscious and decreasing their product’s energy while in use or on standby.

If your console is not updated, you may miss patches that include new energy-saving features.

4.- If possible, do not use your game console for streaming

Streaming Netflix, Amazon, and Disney… through your console will use more electricity than devices like a smart TV or Apple TV. If possible, try to avoid streaming through your gaming console

As a reference, see below a screenshot from the Play Station website describing the power usage while using features not directly related to gaming.

Play Station 5 Power Usage

Game console electricity usage FAQ

How many watts does a Play Station use

Play Station has a web page describing the electricity usage in Watts of all the Play Station consoles.

How many watts does a PS4 use

The link added to the question above describes the electricity usage in Watts of a PS4.

How much watts does a Xbox One use

Core XBox has a web page describing the electricity usage in Watts of an Xbox One console.

Electricity measurement units

Not everybody is familiar with terms like Watts, Kilowatts, or Kilowatt hours, so if you would learn more about them, look at this YouTube video we have prepared about this topic.

What is a Kilowatt hour (kWh)

Electricity measurement units calculators

Or you can have a look to these electricity measurement units calculators to get a better understanding of:

> What is a Watt (W), and how to transform Watts into Kilowatts

> What is a Kilowatt (kW), and how to transform Kilowatts into Kilowatts hour

> What is a Kilowatt hour (kWh), and how to transform Kilowatts hours into other units

> What are Power (P), Voltage (V), and Current (I)

Watt (W)
Watt (W) wattage calculator
Kilowatt (kW)
Kilowatt (kW) calculator
Kilowatt hour (kWh)
Kilowatt hour (kWh) calculator
Power, voltage, current
Power, voltage, current calculator

Game consoles and energy conservation

Energy conservation can be defined as the decision and the act of using less energy

Energy conservation both benefit you and the environment

The act of saving and conserving electricity does benefit you because you will be paying less for your energy bills. 

And it also benefits the environment because conserving electricity prevents unnecessary waste of natural resources.

At the individual level, it may not look worth trying to save a few watts here or there. 

Still, every little counts, and if hundreds or thousands of us save a little every time, it will make an essential contribution towards conserving our natural resources.

Energy conservation calculator

Reducing the electricity usage of our game consoles, even a minimal amount, would significantly impact preserving our natural resources.

 

For example, if 9000 households save as little as 10 Watts per day (0,01 kWh) on gaming electricity usage, that would add to 32850 Kilowatt hours (kWh) saved per year. 

9000 households x 0,01 kWh per day x 365 days per year 

32,850 kWh saved per year

That is a considerable amount of electricity, but let’s add additional perspectives for clarity:

> Assuming an average cost of 0,18 euros (or dollars, pounds, or any other currency) per kWh, we would collectively save nearly 6000 euros annually.

> To produce 32,850 kWh of electricity, it is necessary to use around 17 metric tons of coal or 56 barrels of residual fuel oil.

Look at this page for more information about the number of resources needed to produce electricity.
 

In any case, small energy savings do count when looking into the bigger picture.

Proven ways to save electricity at home

If you want to save electricity ideas at home, watch this YouTube video where we provide some useful tips to reduce electricity usage and decrease the electricity bill.

How to save electricity at home
How to save
How to save
How to earn
How to earn

Calculators

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