Firefox for MacBook M1: Energy Consumption Analysis

The recent release of Firefox version 104 has sparked interest in energy consumption analysis, particularly on MacBook M1 devices and Windows 11 machines. As we investigated this feature, we encountered a few questions that are worth exploring.

One question that arises is why Windows 10 is unable to deliver these values. The answer lies in the compatibility issue between Windows 10 and the power measurement feature in Firefox version 104. This feature is only compatible with M1 Macs or Windows 11 machines.

On macOS, the energy consumption values come from a combination of sources. Our test machine, an MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2021) with an M1 Pro and 32 GB of RAM, provides accurate readings through the RAPL interface. The Green Metrics Tool, which runs on Linux, allows us to analyze these values in detail.

When we compared the energy consumption values on our test machine with those on Windows 11, some interesting differences emerged. This led us to investigate further and explore how much a visit to a website consumes in terms of energy. For example, we chose to analyze the Umweltbundesamt website and discovered that it consumed a significant amount of energy.

Unfortunately, our Green Metrics Tool runs only on Linux, which limits our ability to make direct comparisons between machines. However, we were still able to test the power measurement feature in Firefox version 104 on our MacBook M1 device and gain some valuable insights into its performance.

Overall, this analysis has provided us with a better understanding of the energy consumption values on MacBook M1 devices and Windows 11 machines. By exploring these values, we can make informed decisions about how to reduce our energy consumption while browsing the web.

Firefox for macbook m1