Are you married to your smartphone?
According to a recent survey conducted by B.C. Hydro, you could be.
The company recently conducted a survey of 400 British Columbians to help measure the impact of personal electronics (like smartphones, tablets, and laptops) on household energy consumption.
Since 1990, energy used by personal electronics has increased by almost 150%, up to 17% from just 7%.
Highlights from the survey
- To start, more than 1 in 4 British Columbians aged 25 to 54 would rather give up seeing their significant other for a day than give up their device for the same amount of time. That number rises to 1 in 3 for residents aged 55 to 64, and people say millennials spend too much time on their phones!
- It also seems that British Columbians don’t mind a slow morning, as two-thirds of the respondents said they would be willing to give up their morning coffee for two days rather than lose their smartphone for 48 hours.
- At night, it looks like people prefer screens over lullabies, as 70% of respondents aged 18 to 24 say they fall asleep with their smartphone in bed.
- Put on those warm sweaters and turn into a blanket burrito, nearly one-third of British Columbians in the 18 to 24 age range would give up heating their home on a cold winter day before giving up their smartphone for the same amount of time.
- Lastly, almost one-fifth of those aged 25 to 34 would rather forgo their salary for a day than their device for 24 hours. That’s some serious dedication.
Statistics aside, B.C. Hydro has some helpful and cost-saving tips to help with power-saving for electronics.
“[Turn] on a device’s power management settings,” says B.C. Hydro in their report, “these settings are built into most new personal devices and can significantly improve battery life, limiting the amount of charging required.”
The company also suggests limiting how much energy electronics use even when not turned on.
“Older devices still draw electricity when left plugged in, even when they are turned off,” says B.C. Hydro. “The best way to combat this – particularly for older home theatre equipment – is to use a ‘smart strip’ or advanced power bar.”
