Energy Star To Release Eco-Specs For Game Consoles

As you know, Bob, Energy Star is a joint initiative of the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy tasked with setting guidelines for energy efficiency. There is probably an Energy Star Logo on your computer somewhere, unless you live in the 1980s. Energy Star are preparing a draft specification that will for the first time lay out the energy usage parameters for games consoles. As of July 2010 manufacturers who want to badge consoles with the Energy Star, er, Star will have to ensure that they use less than one watt during 'off' mode, and less than 5 watts in 'standby'. After laying idle for an hour, consoles must automatically power down - a pain if you are trying to keep a Beta key from expiring, but good for the environment, obviously. Gaming Consoles Finally Getting Attention from Energy Star [TreeHugger]