Quote:
Originally Posted by jamesqf
Perhaps you are confused here. The power supply rating is the maximum the power supply can provide, not what it is continuously providing.
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No confusion here; you're absolutely correct, but still missing the point. A recent media PC I built has a continuous draw of 110W at idle conditions, which is much greater than my 1995 PC. My gaming PC has a continuous draw of 400W. Worthless anecdotal evidence aside, old homes often need to have the wiring updated and new breakers installed to keep up with the increased electrical demand of modern living. Efficiency has increased, and we have invented new ways to consume the resource.
To be fair, electrical use has held fairly steady in the last 3 decades. I replaced a 36" TV that consumed 200W with a 60" plasma that consumes 200W.
My overall point. A cheap resource will be rapidly consumed until it is no longer cheap. The only way fossil fuel consumption will be globally reduced is for prices to rise globally. No amount of fuel efficiency improvements will reduce consumption on a global level.