If you have tuned into the BBC in the last year or so you will be under no illusion about the number of ways you can listen to radio transmissions – they are no longer confined to the good old wireless. Digital radio has transformed the sound quality, particularly of medium and long wave (just try the World Service or Radio 5 Live on digital).

But what does listening to digital radio do for your energy consumption? The table below show a rough comparison of power consumption for each method of listening.

Note:

The screen blanking facility is currently only available on Sony televisions.

Freeview radio screen blanking is available on BBC stations.

However, we mustn’t forget the cost of manufacturing the digital radio. Instead of buying a new one you could listen to digital radio on your PC for an hour a day for 6 years before it became more energy efficient to have bought the radio – that’s a lot of listening.

Don’t forget to unplug your digital radio when you’re not using it to cut out standby consumption.