Earth Day Report: Top 10 Tech Power Suckers

If you're looking for a gaming console that drains as much power as possible out of your wall, forget about the Nintendo Wii and go with Microsoft's Xbox 360. Nintendo's family-friendly gaming system uses one-sixth of the power that the Sony PlayStation 3 or Microsoft Xbox 360 consumes in active mode, according to the tree huggers at the Electric Power Research Institute. The EPRI found that the latest version of the Xbox 360 pulled an average of 87.9 watts while playing EA Sports' Madden 2011. The latest PlayStation 3 drew 84.8 watts on average, and the wimpy Wii consumed only an average of 13.7 watts.

If you want a smartphone that needs three charges a day just to make calls, surf the Web, and upload pics to Facebook, take a look at HTC's 4G wonder, the Android-based ThunderBolt. Many reviewers dinged this phone for its poor battery life, and some critics--such as the Boston Globe's Hiawatha Bray--found that they could get only 4 hours out of the phone on a single charge. A smartphone that needs two charges before dinner? Now that's a device that will have Gaia crying her eyes out. I guess 4G isn't a reference to speed, after all, but to how much your electric bill will total after you charge this planet killer for awhile.

If there is a better way to listen to broadcast radio than powering up your big-screen TV to pump out a little audio and show a poorly designed graphic, I haven't found it. Listening to the specialty radio channels at the top of your TV dial consumes up to 20 times more power than listening to broadcasts on a digital radio device, according to the Energy Savings Trust.

Television manufacturers have significantly driven down the power demands of plasma HDTVs in recent years, but older plasma screens really knew how to stress your local power station. A 42-inch plasma HDTV from just a few years ago would consume up to 822 kilowatts of power per year, versus 350 kilowatts for LCDs and 322 kilowatts for an old CRT (cathode ray tube) idiot box. In 2006, Britons were buying plasma TVs in droves during the run-up to that year's World Cup. The consumer frenzy prompted one British scientist to warn that if half of the homes in the UK had a plasma flat-screen TV, the country would need two nuclear power plants just to meet the extra energy demands, according to the Guardian.

Never let it be said that PC gamers are pro-environment, especially when using desktop-replacement laptops for gaming. These bricklike devices have limited battery life, and when plugged into the wall they suck the wattage faster than you can say "Greenpeace." One of the top offenders is Hewlett-Packard's HP Envy 17 3D, which, according to PCWorld Labs tests, survives for less than 90 minutes on battery support, thanks to the laptop's 120Hz refresh rate for full HD stereoscopic 3D on a 17-inch display.

Many point-and-shoot digital cameras offer 300 snaps or more on just one refill of their lithium ion rechargeable batteries. But the PCWorld Labs found that the Canon PowerShot SD4500 IS offers half as many photos on one charge. This camera will spend so much time recharging that you might forget you didn't buy this thing as an ornament for your wall outlet.

Pro tip: Take lots of photos of your backyard with this camera. It will help you remember what your lawn looked like before your own personal power substation replaced it.

Looking for a tablet that'll gorge on power like a pig feeding at the trough? Check out the Dell Streak 7. This Android-based tablet can drain almost half its battery life in 8 hours after light use when you leave its mobile broadband radio on, according to our reviewer. We found that Samsung's Galaxy Tab lasted more than seven times as long as the Streak 7 under similar conditions (albeit with a slightly larger battery capacity). The Dell Streak 7 may be sleek, but this is not the tablet you want to show off during your weekly composting club meetings.

Plasmas aren't the only bad boys of the TV power-sucking world. Many flat-screen televisions over 42 inches can cost you up to $160 every year in electricity costs if you run them for 8 hours per day, according to the power company Southern California Edison. Compare that with a 30-inch CRT set, which SCE says would cost you less than $60 per year. To offset the higher costs, why not charge admission to your next Super Bowl party?

After you buy a 3D TV, four pairs of active-shutter glasses for the family, and a new Blu-ray player, you can wind up spending at least $2500. But don't forget to take out some money from your kids' college education fund every time you turn on a 3D movie for them. Many critics have found that these TV sets use more energy in 3D mode. Popular Mechanics ran a test in mid-2010, and found that power consumption rose significantly when they switched from a 2D show to a 3D program. The worst offender at the time, according to Popular Mechanics, was the 50-inch Panasonic TC-P50VT25, which jumped from a maximum usage of 172 watts in 2D mode to as much as 332 watts in 3D mode. Is Avatar really worth it?

Tech gadgets left on standby mode account for as much as 1 percent of annual carbon dioxide emissions in the United States, according to TreeHugger.com. One of the biggest standby hogs is the DVR sitting in your entertainment center. DVRs can drain about 30 to 40 watts whether they're working or waiting to record Modern Family. That can cost you between $30 and $60 every year in power consumption based on an average electricity price of $0.17 per kilowatt-hour.

Want to know how much power you're drawing on a regular basis between your PC, smartphone, tablet, gaming console, DVR, digital alarm clock, and stereo system? Grab a handy power meter, such as the Kill A Watt ($30) or the Watts Up Pro ($200). Just plug the monitor into your wall and plug the device into the monitor, and then watch as the wattage goes up and up and up. Maybe this Earth Day thing as a reminder isn't a bad idea after all.

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