I’ve been wondering how much power my Wii takes when sitting there in half-standby mode, so I decided to plug in my power meter and find out.
My results were:
- Wii powered on + playing - 18-19 Watts
- WiiConnect24 mode (orange LED) - 9-10 Watts
- Standby (red LED) - 1 Watt
WiiConnect24 isn’t really all that useful, so I’ve turned it off. It means the system won’t update automatically, but I think I can live with going to ’system update’ in the Wii settings menu now and then. 9-10 Watts isn’t a huge amount of power to draw (about the same as a reasonably efficient CFL low-energy bulb) but it still adds up.
Looking at npower’s current prices, it’s 14.88p per kWH for the first 728 kWH units, then 7.63p per kWH unit after that. Assuming a continous 10 Watt drain, that means it draws 1kWH for every 100 hours in standby. By my calculations, at the higher rate that’s about £13 per year, and at the lower rate, about £6.70 per year. Okay, when you look at it like that it’s not really a big deal 
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the updates get so much press you are unlikey to miss one.
I think you’re right about that, as long as you don’t live in a cave, the updates get broadcast across the internet.
The updates are readily available and you have to consider your carbon footprint these days.
You are right, the cost does mount up when you think about the consumption over a year. Think of all the wasted money if every Wii in existance was left on standby. TV’s use nearly the same amount of electricity when in standby mode than if left turned on.
I don’t think it would do any harm updating as and when required. I’d rather that than leave my console on ’semi-on’ mode all the time. That can’t do it any good.
Andy
Very good post, standby consumption on electronic devices really add up. Tv, game systems, computers, etc. Over time, it adds up.
lol dude, great post
I’m broke as hell right now =) Maybe my wii can save me some money
Well, Wii power consumption isn’t that big of a deal for me either. It’s just so fun to play that we don’t even think about that. But thanks for bringing that to our attention. Have you tried the Wii Fit? It’s awesome!
I just want a Wii Fit so I can use up my own energy. If I give out enough heat, we can save on our fuel bills and reduce the carbon footprint in a different way!
i always unplug my wii when im not using it as it still uses power, and here in ireland the cost of energy rose 30% last month. thanks for sharing your thoughts.
thanks for sharing this, i always make sure to unplug my wii and all other gadgets/electronics when not in use as the price of energy is soaring here in ireland,but thats just me