BERLIN: Streaming content such as movies or music is part of everyday life now. The process uses energy - not enough to show up on your electricity bill, but if you want to be more sustainable and save a few cents, there are simple ways to reduce energy consumption.
If you don't click quickly enough, the next video will automatically start playing on YouTube or Netflix. To avoid constantly downloading data in this way you should turn off the autoplay function.
Another tip is to reduce the image quality. "The higher the image quality, the greater the data consumption," says Philip Heldt from a German consumer advice centre.
HD quality is often sufficient to stream a film or video. Full HD looks better, but also uses more data and therefore energy. On YouTube, for example, you can reduce the video quality from 1080p to 720p or 480p.
Listening to music on YouTube consumes more energy than streaming it on Spotify or similar platforms as there will usually be a video playing and your device's screen remains on.
When streaming music on Spotify, make sure to disable Canvas, the platform's animated video backgrounds. Head to the Settings menu and select "Playback." Scroll down and disable "Canvas."
Downloading music or videos instead of streaming them doesn't only allow you to access them offline at any time, it also slashes data and energy consumption. However, on many platforms, including YouTube and Spotify, you will have to upgrade to a paid premium subscription to be able to use the feature. – dpa
