Uh, ya, the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 are full-on computers that need a lot of power to operate. But interestingly, a study by the Australian consumer agency Choice discovered that these game consoles use up more power when not in use than a refrigerator! (I spotted this on Lifehacker, which honed in on this Reuters story, by the way.)

Who knew that an idle PS3 users more power than a Plasma TV playing a DVD or three iMacs or two CRT monitors? Choice offers some handy charts comparing energy use plus the damage to an Aussie’s electricity bill.

According to the Reuters’ story, the study concludes that “Our tests found that leaving a Playstation 3 on while not in use would cost almost… five times more than it would take to run a refrigerator for the same yearly period.”

That must be one energy efficient refrigerator! Turn those PS3s and Xbox 360′s off when not in use. Check out the study HERE.

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