{"id":64635,"date":"2014-05-19T23:55:41","date_gmt":"2014-05-19T21:55:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/?p=64635"},"modified":"2014-05-20T09:26:41","modified_gmt":"2014-05-20T07:26:41","slug":"sa-electricity-what-you-pay-for-ps4-xbox-one-wii-u","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/features\/64635-sa-electricity-what-you-pay-for-ps4-xbox-one-wii-u","title":{"rendered":"SA electricity: what you pay for PS4, Xbox One, Wii U"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you’re fortunate enough to own (or are looking to buy) one of the latest gaming consoles – Wii U, PS4, or Xbox One – have you considered how much electricity these machines consume?<\/p>\n

Whether you’re actively gaming, streaming video content, or have left the console in standby mode, it’s draining juice from the national grid.<\/p>\n

This is a pertinent topic considering winter is upon us and national electricity supplier Eskom has warned that its power system is “severely constrained”<\/a>\u00a0while calling on consumers to reduce power demand by at least 10% to avoid possible load-shedding.<\/p>\n

So how much does running these consoles cost each month? We’ve put the numbers through the MyGaming abacus – the results are below.<\/p>\n

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<\/td>\n\n

South African annual console power consumption cost<\/h3>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/td>\nAnnual Energy Consumption (kWh\/y)<\/strong><\/td>\nEskom Energy charge (cents\/kWh)<\/strong><\/td>\nAnnual energy cost\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Wii U<\/strong><\/td>\n37<\/td>\n101.06<\/td>\nR37.40<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
PS4<\/strong><\/td>\n181<\/td>\n101.06<\/td>\nR182.92<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Xbox One<\/strong><\/td>\n233<\/td>\n101.06<\/td>\nR235.47<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

And just how did we arrive at these numbers? Read on.<\/p>\n

International non-profit environment group, The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) released their May 2014 report<\/a> which analysed the electricity consumption of the three consoles. Measurements included the consoles\u2019 motion and voice sensing devices – Kinect, PS Camera, and Wii U sensor bar.<\/p>\n

Below is a summary of their findings.<\/p>\n

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<\/td>\n\n

Console power consumption – NRDC May 2014<\/h3>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/td>\nGameplay Power (watts)<\/strong><\/td>\nVideo Streaming Power (watts)<\/strong><\/td>\nConnected Standby Power (watts)<\/strong><\/td>\nAnnual Energy Consumption (kWh\/y)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Wii U<\/strong><\/td>\n34<\/td>\n29<\/td>\n0.4<\/td>\n37<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
PS4<\/strong><\/td>\n137<\/td>\n89<\/td>\n8.5<\/td>\n181<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Xbox One<\/strong><\/td>\n112<\/td>\n74<\/td>\n15.7<\/td>\n233<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

NRDC estimated the annual energy consumption of game consoles, expressed in kilowatt hours per year (kWh\/y), by multiplying the average time spent in each mode each year (hours) by the power consumption of each mode (watts). NRDC\u2019s average usage assumptions are based on usage habits in the United States. A full explanation of the NRDC’s testing methodology and research can be found in their published paper<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"NRDC<\/a>

NRDC console usage assumptions – May 2014<\/p><\/div>\n

South African cost to operate consoles<\/h3>\n

Due to the complexity and various use-case scenarios of Eskom’s tariff structures, it is difficult to arrive at a single definitive electricity cost to run the consoles. Variables include the type of residential home, distance to transmission source, and geographical location.<\/p>\n

To get an indicative figure, we have taken the simplest tariff option – standard rates for residential customers. You can go to Eskom’s website<\/a> to check your exact tariffs. The table below summarises Eskom’s “Home Power” standard rates for the year 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2015.<\/p>\n

For the purpose of our calculation, we took the block 1 rate of 101.06 c\/kWh, which is flat across all residential groups. The calculation did not include the various Homepower group tariffs for network access.<\/p>\n

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<\/td>\n\n

Eskom “Home Power” standard – Non-local authority rates – 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2015<\/h3>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/td>\nEnergy charge (cents\/kWh)<\/strong><\/td>\nNetwork access charge (R\/POD\/day)<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nBlock 1 (>0-600 kWh) – VAT incl.<\/td>\nBlock 2 (>600 kWh) – VAT incl.<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Homepower 1<\/td>\n101.06<\/td>\n159.57<\/td>\nR4.33<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Homepower 2<\/td>\n101.06<\/td>\n155.58<\/td>\nR8.12<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Homepower 3<\/td>\n101.06<\/td>\n155.58<\/td>\nR16.75<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Homepower 4<\/td>\n101.06<\/td>\n62.51<\/td>\nR2.6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

It should be noted that the tariff scales upwards based on usage each month – the first 600kWh are charged at block 1 rates, and subsequent consumption is charged at block 2 rates. The usage blocks are reset each billing cycle.<\/p>\n

Console power consumption – NRDC key findings<\/h3>\n