E.ON Warns on Internet and Power Use
Video streaming creates an electricity demand that most Germans choose to ignore, according to a recent sample surveyed by Kantar on behalf of E.ON. As many as 71% of online users either have no awareness or simply ignore their high consumption of electricity, the German utility said February 5.
Today, videos account for 80% of global data traffic. Germans alone streamed almost 5bn hours’ worth of films and series from the internet last year.
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Almost half of the group of people who were aware of the connection between streaming and electricity consumption were not prepared to change their behaviour, while the other half were already trying to stream as little content as possible. the survey found.
The survey also found show that most Germans underestimate the power requirements of data centres. In an estimate of whether data centres in Germany collectively consume as much electricity as a city of 25,000, 100,000 or 4 million inhabitants, only 41% guessed the highest value, which is correct.
E.ON says that streaming doesn't always have to be in 4K or 8K quality: for most videos, a lower resolution is enough, which creates significantly less power consumption in data centres. It also advises against YouTube for music, as there is always a video as well, "which unnecessarily increases data transfer."
Anyone who wants to watch films and series and save energy should use a smartphone or tablet. For example, a customer who surfs the internet and streams films for one or two hours a day needs only around four kWh/yr of electricity with a smartphone, or €1.20 in energy costs. Anyone streaming for the same amount of time on a current, larger TV set will need around 50 kWh/yr, or just under €15/yr.
E.ON says it supplies data centres with green energy from wind, PV or fuel cells and uses waste heat from data centres to heat residential areas.