Games consoles are an essential in many households across the country - but they can be a drain on energy. So if you're looking to cut down your electricity use as energy prices rise, your PlayStation or Xbox might be a good place to start.
As James Brown, director at Protect Your Bubble, explains, saving money does not necessarily have to mean less game time. It could be a case of making sure your machine is running as efficiently as possible.
Make sure energy-saving mode is enabled
Your console likely has an energy-saving mode. Make sure it is enabled so it can save you money.
"Without this, the Xbox Series X can waste energy even while in standby mode because of its instant-on power settings, potentially costing users 44p an hour," Mr Brown said. "Switching to the Xbox Series X energy-saving mode can reduce the cost to less than 1p a day."
The PS5 will automatically enter rest mode if it is not used for an hour. "Users can enable time limits for USB power charging when the PS5 is in this mode to save even more," Mr Brown added.
Turn it off
It may sound obvious but the simplest way to save is by making sure you switch off your console when you're not using it, rather than leaving it in standby or rest mode. "The latest versions of the Xbox and PlayStation burn a lot more energy than their predecessors because they use superior hardware that handles high-definition visuals better but also pushes their processors harder," Mr Brown said.
"Turning the consoles off completely will prevent any energy drain, so if you’re not constantly gaming, then you can just unplug them." If you are unplugging, though, make sure you shut the console down completely before doing so, or you risk corrupting the drives.
Keep your console updated
It can be a pain to update your console's systems when you want to get stuck straight in, but it is worth doing. Mr Brown said: "Don’t put them off for too long because they can help with energy management."
An example of this was an update brought in by Microsoft for Xbox consoles in March this year. Mr Brown said: "It allows the consoles to download system and game updates while in the energy-saving mode, where previously you could only do that while using the less efficient standby mode."
Avoid streaming TV through your console
It may be convenient to keep everything in one place and stream your favourite TV shows via the apps on your console. But this could be costing you money.
Mr Brown said: "If you have a Smart TV or streaming stick, it’s more efficient to use those instead of using your games console, as they use far less energy. Remember, consoles are built for gaming and shouldn’t be used predominantly for streaming if you’re trying to save money on your bills."
