KEY POINTS:
The surging boom in new technology for home entertainment, from CD players and DAB radios to flat-screen TVs, is taking up huge amounts of energy and undermining the fight against climate change, warns an energy watchdog report.
The consumer electronics sector is now only three years away from
becoming the biggest single user of domestic electricity in Britain, according to the report - and in 2010 it will overtake the traditionally high-consuming sectors of lighting, and "white goods" such as fridges and freezers, in home energy use.
By 2020, entertainment and information technology electronics in the home will account for 45 per cent of all electricity used in UK households, the study from the Energy Saving Trust (EST) said.
This is equivalent to the output from 14 power stations and will make much harder the managing of energy demand and the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions in the fight against global warming (quite apart from the fact that the costs to householders of running all this shiny gear will be nearly £5 billion [$12.8 billion] annually.)
The report, entitled The Ampere Strikes Back, explains why computers and consumer electronics are becoming such a drain on the nation's energy supplies.
"New, more sophisticated and 'higher spec' versions of electronic gadgets tend to consume more electricity than the products they replace, such as fridges and washing machines that are usually more efficient as they develop and evolve."
Furthermore, it is easy, says the report, to leave electrical products switched on 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with standby functions tending to be used more frequently than the "off" button.
"Indeed, some products no longer have a manual 'off' switch, making it impossible for consumers to switch off the gadget, except at a wall socket."
A typical modern household contains an array of gadgets ranging from TVs, sound systems and mobile phones to computers, digital cameras and MP3 players. The increase in single-person households is also "taking its toll" on energy use, the report warns.
Young, cash-rich professionals who are quick to buy emerging new technology will see entertainment, computer and information technology taking up a growing proportion of their electricity bill.
"UK consumers will be surprised to hear just what their home entertainment equipment gets up to," said EST chief executive Philip Sellwood.
"The Ampere Strikes Back report holds up a mirror to all of us and shows just how easy it is to lose track of what is sucking up energy in our homes and costing us and the environment dear."
- INDEPENDENT