Importance Score: 65 / 100 🔴
With energy costs escalating, owners of Sky Q set-top boxes are being encouraged to utilise the ‘Eco‘ mode to minimise power consumption. This simple adjustment in settings can contribute to lower utility bills. Sky highlights this feature as a practical method for users to conserve energy and potentially reduce expenses associated with running their television equipment.
Sky Q ‘Eco’ Mode: Reduce Energy Usage
Sky’s ‘Eco‘ mode is readily accessible within the Preferences section of the device’s settings menu. The company officially recommends enabling this feature for optimal energy efficiency.
How Eco Mode Functions
Once activated, Eco mode automatically initiates a low power state during the hours of 2:30 am and 5:45 am, periods when television usage is typically at its lowest. During this interval, the Sky Q box significantly reduces its energy draw.
Intelligent Recording and Eco Mode
Despite being in a low-power state, the Sky Q box remains intelligent enough to manage scheduled recordings. If a recording is programmed, for example at 4:00 am, Eco mode will not activate, ensuring users do not miss their desired programs.
“This setting is recommended as the box reduces energy use by entering low power mode between 2.30am and 5.45am. It will only enter this mode after any scheduled recordings are completed,” Sky has stated.
Activating Eco Mode on Sky Q
Should users wish to watch television before 5:45 am, simply pressing the power button will reactivate the box. Sky advises that resuming from Eco mode may take a few minutes. Users of Sky Q Mini boxes attempting to connect before 5:45 am might encounter connectivity issues unless the standby setting is adjusted.
Step-by-Step Activation Guide:
- Press Home on your Sky Q remote.
- Navigate to Settings, then Setup.
- Select Preferences.
- Choose Standby mode.
- Select Eco to enable the setting.
Further Energy Conservation Measures
Beyond Sky Q‘s Eco mode, numerous other strategies exist to decrease household energy consumption. These include enabling “power saving” modes on televisions, which dim the screen to conserve energy, and completely powering off gaming consoles when they are not in use.
Utilising air fryers for cooking can also reduce energy used compared to conventional ovens, and disconnecting chargers when not actively charging devices is another worthwhile practice.
Important Router Usage Advice
Notably, one piece of technology that should remain continuously powered is the home router.
This device requires constant power to ensure it receives essential overnight updates. Switching a router off and on frequently can lead Internet Service Providers to suspect line issues, potentially resulting in speed restrictions to maintain connection stability, even if no actual fault exists.