By Enterprise Innovation Staff | Jun 11, 2008

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Games consoles can suck up more power than a medium-sized fridge, according to a survey by an Australian consumer group.

A Sony PlayStation 3 left plugged in but not in use, could cost consumers almost A$250 ($238) a year in electricity bills - five times more than a medium-sized fridge, said consumer advocate Choice.

The Xbox 360 created a similar energy footprint, while a plasma TV if left on all year would use four times as much power as an old CRT model, Choice said.

Choice called for energy labelling for computer products, noting that whitegoods had increased in energy efficiency by 4.6% a year since the introduction of compulsory labels more than a decade ago.

The study also found that a laptop typically used one-fifth of the energy of a desktop PC, while Apple Macs used two-thirds as much power as a PC.