Earth Week: How Much Your Electronics Cost Per Year

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- We've dubbed this week "Earth Week" on the WCCO this Morning Show and are exploring several ways to learn about being more eco-friendly.

It's been a good opportunity to think about our impact on the environment. One way people go eco-friendly is remembering to turn off the lights. But when it comes to our cell phones, you plug them in when you need to plug them in.

So we thought you'd like to know what it costs to charge them over the course of a year.

Starting with mobile phones, they use about two kilowatts of electricity per year, costing you only about 25 cents. Compare that with an iPad, which uses 12 killowatts of electricity and costs about $1.50 per year.

Experts said a laptop will run you about $8 per year in energy costs to charge, while game consoles like the X-Box and Playstation cost about $40 per year. And your big screen TV is $45 per year to keep it plugged in.

Here's just a quick comparison to light bulbs. According to the Department of Energy, older 60-watt incandescent bulbs cost about $5 per year, based on average usage. Newer Energy Star LED bulbs cost about $1 dollar.