One of these consoles is a power miser

Energy consumption is probably not the first thing you consider when shopping for a game console. In fact, it’s probably far down the list. But energy use translates into cost, and you’d be surprised how much a game console can add to your household budget.

All three of the main consoles: the Nintendo Wii, Playstation III and Xbox 360 draw power even when turned off. The power use rises dramatically once you turn them on.

The Nintendo Wii easily wins the award for greenest console. Though it uses 1.9 watts while off, that increases to 16.4 watts once you start playing. It is followed by the Xbox 360 whose latest version draws 3.1 watts off and 118.8 while on. The power guzzler of the group is the Playstation III that, while drawing a miserly 1.1 watts while off, drinks up 150.1 watts while on.

That’s for the latest versions of the products. If you have older versions, you’re using more power: 172 watts for the original Xbox 360 and a whopping 188.6 watts for an original PS3.

So how does a game console impact your budget?

Here’s a way to estimate it. Look on your most recent power bill and find the cost per Kwh. It will typically run in the 10 cents to 20 cents range. If your electric company has different costs based on usage, choose the highest number.

If your game console is on for an average of four hours a day, multiply the power cost by the following:

0.16 for an Xbox 360, 0.03 for a Wii and 0.19 for a PS3

If your game console is on for an average of four hours a day, multiply the power cost by the following:

0.3 for an Xbox 360, 0.05 for a Wii and 0.37 for a PS3

And if it runs 24 hours a day (likely if the kids forget to turn it off), multiply the power cost by the following:

0.85 for an Xbox 360, 0.11 for a Wii and 1.08 for a PS3

The resulting number is your approximate monthly cost to power your video game console.

Here in California, power isn’t cheap – and with the various computers and gadgets around here, it’s no surprise my power cost hits 23 cents/kWh. Forgetting to turn off the Wii isn’t the end of the world at $2.71/month. But I’m sure going to remember to turn off the PS3 – an extra $25/month on my power bill is not going to go unnoticed.