The number of devices connected to the internet is growing rapidly and has already surpassed the world’s human population. The worldwide network-related standby energy consumption of the IoT devices considered in this report is also growing by 20% p.a., so that by 2025 it is estimated to consume 46 TWh p.a. This is equal to Portugal’s annual electricity consumption in the year 2012.
Of the IoT applications studied in the EDNA report, the most significant contributors to networkrelated standby energy consumption in 2025 are expected to be Home Automation (78%), Smart Appliances (15%) and Smart Lighting (7%).
The selection of appropriate communication technology options, that demand the least power, would reduce the network standby energy consumption of IoT devices. Many low-power technologies are available, with widespread deployment in battery-powered IoT devices.
The pre-configuration of power-saving options within communication technologies, would also achieve considerable energy savings.
Depending on the application, the Internet of Things can also enable better energy management, leading to significant energy savings. However this was not part of the EDNA study and therefore is not reflected in this document.
