Britain’s addiction to power-hungry gadgets could raise electricity bills by £100 per year for every household and hamper progress in meeting the country’s greenhouse gas emissions targets, according to experts.The proliferation of plasma televisions, high-end PCs and mobile phones is causing energy consumption to soar. These devices currently account for 25% of the electricity used by UK households and projections by the Energy Savings Trust (EST) show this will rise to around 45% by 2020. Per household, this means an increase in energy use of 1,000kWh per year at present, to 1,700kWh in 2020 and, at today’s electricity prices, this will cause a jump in bills from just under £140 per year to £237.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/may/24/gadgets-appliances-climate-change-emissions-targets
Gadget boom sends electric bills soaring
Britain’s addiction to power-hungry gadgets could raise electricity bills by £100 per year for every household and hamper progress in meeting the country’s greenhouse gas emissions targets, according to experts.