According to a BBC study, dark mode does not reduce the energy consumption of devices, but in some cases can lead to more energy consumption.
During the experiment, 80% of users tended to increase the brightness of the screen in dark mode. As a result, increasing the brightness completely nullified the potential energy savings of dark mode.
“We observed that users intuitively increase the brightness of the screen in dark mode. This leads to a phenomenon called the ‘rebound effect’. As a result, it is not correct to assume that dark mode always saves energy,” the researchers said.
In addition, the engineers note that energy consumption depends on the type of screen. For example, OLED screens can really save energy in dark mode, but for LCD screens this is not effective. Therefore, it would be wrong to look for a single solution for all devices.
For real energy savings, experts recommend the following:
- Reducing screen brightness to a minimum comfortable level
- Using smaller devices (for example, a smartphone instead of a laptop)
- Extending the life of devices, since the production of new devices leaves an ecological footprint.
Thus, the most effective way to reduce energy consumption is to change user habits and use devices for longer.
