The figures are via Uswitch.com’s 2022 Gaming Statistics report, which assesses things like console costs and service prices.
As well as identifying the “best value console”, by their metrics (it’s the Xbox One S), they also report on the five most energy efficient consoles. You can see their figures below, with the Nintendo Switch leading the way:
Rank |
Console |
Average monthly energy use (kWh) |
Average monthly energy cost (£) |
1 |
Nintendo Switch |
1.52kWh |
£0.52 |
2 |
Nintendo Switch OLED |
2.20kWh |
£0.75 |
=3 |
Xbox Series S |
15.12kWh |
£5.14 |
=3 |
PS4 |
15.13kWh |
£5.14 |
5 |
Xbox One S |
15.33kWh |
£5.21 |
The organisation writes:
“With the majority (56%) of gamers having reduced their playtime to save on their energy bills over the last year, Nintendo Switch (£0.52 a month) owners can relax knowing their console is 90% more cost-effective than the most efficient Xbox and Playstation models, the Xbox Series S and PS4 respectively (£5.14 a month).
Energy efficiency is a key factor when looking to buy a console for almost one in five (17.47%) gamers, taking precedence over backwards compatibility (17.27%), the console’s design (17.27%) and available add-ons (8%).”
You can find the full study online at www.uswitch.com/broadband/studies/online-gaming-statistics/