The UK has a goal to reduce its carbon footprint by 34% by 2020, but consumer technology habits may make that target all but impossible to reach. Several broad trends over the past two decades ensure Brits use more electricity than ever before.
More Gadgets
The biggest contributor to UK household electricity usage is the number of electronics in the average UK home. The Elephant in the Living Room,
a report detailing the excessive number of electronics in the UK, states that "in 2009 the average British household contained a staggering three-and-a-half times as many gadgets as it did in 1990.
Many of these electronics, like cable boxes, continuously draw power even when they're turned off. While some electronics trend toward energy efficiency (light bulbs, netbook computers, and LED televisions), most ignore their steep power costs.
While many gadgets are multipurpose - game consoles serving as home entertainment systems for example - consumers err on the side of redundancy. The introduction of tablet computers hasn't eliminated the notebook computer market. Instead, many consumers are purchasing both.
Bigger Gadgets
The UK is also trending towards larger "American style" gadgets and appliances. Refrigerators, televisions, and washing machines are larger. Larger electronics and appliances require more electricity, but consumers tend to ignore a machine's operational costs when they see how pretty a 60 inch television looks.
Computers are far more powerful than computers from a decade ago, but they require substantially more electricity. LCD and LED monitors are more efficient than their CRT counterparts, but increased screen size has largely offset any power savings from the new technologies.
Poor Habits
While consumers will never surrender their gadgets, one area which promises significant and immediate improvement is simply teaching them about how much electronics actually cost them. Right now, they are woefully undereducated, and that lack of knowledge is contributing millions of tonnes of CO2 to the atmosphere.
The report cites a trend where consumers purchase ever larger washing machines. While larger washing machines actually allow for energy savings by limiting the number of loads needed to wash the same amount of clothing, UK homeowners overwhelmingly keep the same load size as before. While they could potentially slash their washing machine usage in half with the bigger machines, they're actually increasing how much electricity they're using.
Other electronics are rarely used, but they're left powered on 24/7. Printers are some of the worst offenders since they're only used for a few minutes each day, if that. Leaving them on can end up costing £5-£10 a year. While that doesn't sound like a lot by itself, imagine 10-15 gadgets in a similar standby mode. Some gadgets, like cable boxes, consume about 50 watts of power whether they're on or off. Turning them off every day for 20 hours (at night and while you're at work) will save about £5 a month.
Smarter electronic practices can save UK homeowners hundreds of pounds every year, a much more tangible benefit than reducing the carbon footprint. Thankfully, electricity savings and CO2 reduction go hand in hand.
