Streaming Netflix and Co. is an energy guzzler: You can save with these tips

Created: 09/03/2022 10:21 am

By: Jan Oeftger

The internet consumes a lot of electricity.

A few tricks can also save a lot of energy when streaming.

Kassel – In times of the energy crisis, saving energy is becoming increasingly important.

In addition to the environmental aspect, it is also about not putting too much strain on your wallet.

There is great savings potential in streaming and internet use.

Both are becoming more and more important in our free time and in everyday life, but many are not aware of how much energy is consumed as a result.

With a few simple tricks, the high consumption can be reduced.

If the internet were included in a country ranking for electricity consumption, it would come in sixth place.

According to estimates, three to four percent of global greenhouse gas emissions are caused by IT and communication technology, writes the

.

Streaming from Netflix & Co: What uses a lot of energy?

Streaming consumes a lot of energy.

Films and series on platforms such as Netflix or Amazon Prime are increasingly preferred to linear television.

This leads to a greater energy load.

"One hour of video streaming in full HD resolution requires 220 to 370 watt hours of electrical energy, depending on the end device used.

That causes around 100 to 175 grams of carbon dioxide, similar to the emissions from a small car driving one kilometer in the car,” Ralph Hintemann from the Borderstep Institute for Innovation and Sustainability told

.

Internet power consumption is increasing.

A few tricks can save a lot of energy.

© Eugenio Marongiu/imago

In order to meet the great demand, an increasing number of data centers is needed.

In Frankfurt, the data centers already account for 25 percent of the entire city's electricity consumption, as Hintemann explains.

"And it's not just the IT, the servers.

There is also a lot of heat that has to be cooled with the help of refrigeration systems.”

Netflix, Amazon Prime and Co.: How can I save energy when using the Internet?

There are a few ways to conserve energy when streaming.

One of them is using a tablet or laptop instead of a big-screen TV.

In addition, not all films have to be streamed in 4K.

If you make compromises, this also saves electricity.

In general, linear TV is much more energy-friendly than streaming and should therefore remain an alternative.

“If ten million people watch a film on television, it triggers only one broadcast.

But if ten million people stream a film, that also triggers ten million transmissions.

So that causes massively higher power consumption,” explains Martin Gobbin, technology editor at Stiftung Warentest, explaining the connections.

Options for saving energy at a glance

• Stream with your tablet or laptop instead of the TV

• Don't watch movies in 4K

• If possible, use linear television instead of streaming

• download music

• Turn off auto play

• Don't overload cloud storage

But even those who want to continue using streaming services have further savings.

With music apps like Spotify, you should rather download your favorite music than stream it every time.

This can also save energy.

On video platforms, it makes sense to turn off the autoplay function.

This prevents videos from being loaded that you do not want to watch.

In addition, cloud storage should not be overused, since the energy consumption there is also particularly high.

Storing photos and files on external hard drives instead protects the environment.

You should therefore regularly delete e-mails stored in the cloud.

(Jan Oeftger)

In addition to the savings potential of online use, there are other measures in the household that can be used to save energy.

The government has also established nationwide energy saving measures.