My husband is a Mr. Gadget. He loves the latest, the fastest, the sleekest, and the coolest electronic gadgets that come off the assembly line. But utility cost and how much energy they consume are on our minds when we purchase these fancy electronic gismos. Read below and compare energy costs and how much actual energy they consume when you are considering buying them as gifts this year. This chart is from one of my favorite magazines, Body + Soul magazine.
I can’t seem to line up the columns properly so bare with me. The green color font on the right corresponds with the gadget on the right.
MUSIC 
Stereo vs. MP3 player
120 kilowatt hours vs. 6 kilowatts hours
$13.20 per year vs. $.66 per year
206 pounds of CO2 vs. 10 pounds of CO2
CABLE 
Digital vs. Satellite
239 kilowatt hours vs. 124 kilowatt hours
$26.29 per year vs. $13.64 per year
410 pounds of CO2 vs. 213 pounds of CO2
COMPUTER 
Desktop vs. Laptop
255 kilowatt hours vs. 83 kilowatt hours
$28.05 per year vs. $9.13 per year
437 pounds of CO2 vs. 142 pounds of CO2
PHONE 
Cordless vs. Cellular
26 kilowatt hours vs. 3 kilowatt hours
$2.86 per year vs. $.33 per year
45 pounds of CO2 vs. 5 pounds of CO2
TELEVISION
Plasma vs. LCD
441 kilowatt hours vs. 77 kilowatt hours
$48.51 per year vs. $8.47 kilowatt per year
756 pounds of CO2 vs. 132 pounds of CO2
This sounds like a no brainer but bigger the gadget, more energy it consumes. For example, TVs with larger than 40 inches boost the amount of energy it uses. Desk top computers with monitors also consumes three times the electricity than laptops. Also, some products, like digital cable box uses energy 24/7.
So when you are thinking about purchasing electronic gifts for someone or for yourself, think about the hidden costs, like monthly electricity bill and energy costs.
