You can see the main culprits when it comes to power hungry systems, but there many things you can do to cut down on your entire power consumption, ultimately saving you cash. While NRDC wants industry wide changes, I’m only placing a call to action for us gamers with only the most altruistic intent; saving money here allows you to spend more elsewhere.

The XBOX 360 and Sony Playstation have power-saving auto-shutdown modes but it’s up to gamers to enable the mode to save energy and money. Follow these instructions to enable auto-shutdown:

XBOX 360:

And now for the power hungry PS3:

Now this list isn’t just for those that have consoles. There are a number of things you can do in you home, apartment, and even your dorm room. Good habits start early.

First off let’s look at the thermostat. As I write this it’s beginning to become chilly for winter. If you live in the desert some of these might not apply to you.

• Be careful not to overheat or overcool rooms. In the winter, set your thermostat at 68 degrees in daytime, and 55 degrees at night. In the summer, keep it at 78 or higher.

• Use sunlight wisely. During the heating season (winter), leave shades and blinds open on sunny days, but close them at night to reduce the amount of heat lost through windows. Close shades and blinds during the summer or when the air conditioner is in use or will be in use later in the day.

• Clean or replace air filters as recommended. Energy is lost when air conditioners and hot-air furnaces have to work harder to draw air through dirty filters. Cleaning a dirty air conditioner filter can save 5 percent of the energy used.

Next lets look at lighting…

• Buy energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs for your most-used lights. Although they cost more initially, they save money in the long run by using only 1/4 the energy of an ordinary incandescent bulb and lasting 8-12 times longer. They provide an equivalent amount of bright, attractive light. Make sure you use EnergyStar compact fluorescents, which are tested for quality and longevity.

Lighting accounts for about 15 percent of household energy use. If you swap the five standard light bulbs you use most for energy-saving compact fluorescents, you can save roughly $60 each year on electricity.

Now as a warning, I just bought these lights for my place. Initially I’ll be honest I didn’t like them. When I turn on a light I want it bright now. Compact Fluorescence Lightbulbs (CFL) tend to take about 15 seconds to get bright. I am notorious for leaving every light in my house on. I’m trying to be better, but I just got my energy bill and I can say I’m playing less than I have been in previous cycles.

Lastly around the house, this was a big one for me. I always leave my computers on or gadget plugged into power outlets.

• Unplug seldom-used appliances or chargers when you’re not charging. We all have little piggy power supplies used to recharge cell phones, PDA’s, digital cameras, cordless tools and other personal gadgets. Keep them unplugged until you need them.

• All of your high-end equipment should be plugged into a power strip/surge protector. Use the off switch to completely turn off televisions, home theater equipment, and stereos when you’re not using them. Even when you think these products are off, together, their “standby” consumption can be equivalent to that of a 75 or 100 watt light bulb running continuously.

• Enable the “sleep mode” feature on your computer, allowing it to use less power during periods of inactivity. In Windows, the power management settings are found on your control panel. Mac users, look for energy saving settings under system preferences in the Apple menu.

• Configure your computer to “hibernate” automatically after 30 minutes or so of inactivity. The “hibernate mode” turns the computer off in a way that doesn’t require you to reload everything when you switch it back on. Allowing your computer to hibernate saves energy and is more time-efficient than shutting down and restarting your computer from scratch. When you’re done for the day, shut down.

I can’t wholly endorse the computer features. In practice these are good for users who seldom return to their computer after getting up or do not have torrents running. This does not realistic work out for my computer usage.

One special note, use rechargeable batteries for remotes, peripherals and anything that gets constant use. I used to spend a lot of money on batteries. Rechargeable ones save me a bundle.

As you can see, small changes can make a big difference overall, turning off a few things here or there, unplugging a few chargers can, over the long haul add up, saving you cash. Try out a few of these, you might be surprised. Got any other recommendations on how to improve your energy usage don’t be afraid to post some in the comments section. Let us know what we can do to save money and energy.

Images courtesy of the NRDC and NYTimes

[NRDC]