6 Computer Energy Saving Tips

Energy saving tips are especially important these days because of rising energy costs. While this may be the prime motivation to cut down on the costs there are other benefits in regards to computer systems. A computer system that saves energy will produce less heat, which is important during the summer where heat build-up can lead to increased computer problems.

Computer systems consume power. The amount of power depends on the system at hand. It can vary widely depending on the hardware build into the computer system. A high end user’s computer with the latest hardware will consume more power than an office computer system that uses low end hardware. High end computer systems use 250 Watts or more per hour which equals 1 kWh every four hours of usage. The US average energy costs for 1 kWh are $0.11. This varies a lot in the country but also worldwide. The costs of 1 kWh in Germany average around $0.27 for example. A computer running 24 hours a day using 100 Watts per hour will need 876 kWh a year which would equal $96 when using the US average and $236 in Germany. If the computer uses 250 Watts instead the costs would rise to 2190 kWh per year which would equal $240 in the US and $591 in Germany. Not all computer systems are running 24 hours though but it is probably good to know some maximum values.

1. Buy energy efficient products
Considering energy efficient products is the first way to save energy. Look for logos like the Energy Star attached to computer hardware. Energy Star is a third party company that rates products based on the amount of power they consume. A product must earn the Energy Star rating. Another good idea is to look for an 80+ power supply unit which is more energy efficient as well. 80+ signifies that the power supply runs at 80% efficiency over a range of loads.

2. Use built-in power saving features
Most operating systems come with power saving features that put hardware like hard drives or the computer monitor into idle mode or turn it off for the time it is not being used. Idle mode consumes between 20 to 50 times less energy. Windows users find the power saving settings in the Control Panel. It might be necessary to tweak the values for turning off the computer monitor, hard drives and setting a system standby time to suit the individual needs.

This also includes the possibility to underclock hardware. A high-end video card is only needed with its full power when using the latest graphic intensive programs. Underclocking video cards and processors is a good way to save power, but you need to balance the power savings with limiting computer performance.

3. Turn down the brightness
Turning down the brightness of the computer monitor, or any other monitor actually, saves energy. This is actually a good tip for users with laptops, netbooks and other mobile devices including cell phones. It can also be helpful on desktop systems.

4. Turn off the monitor instead of using a screensaver
Screensavers do not save energy. Their function these days is reduced to visuals only. Turning off the computer monitor instead of running screensavers can save energy. Another idea would be to adjust how quickly your monitor moves into idle mode. This is set through your operating system control panel.

5. Disable devices that are not needed
Laptops come with all sorts of devices that a user might not need. Each of the devices – if enabled – consume energy. A laptop user that enables the built-in network adapter and a cable to connect to the Internet probably does not need Wi-fi, the build in modem, Bluetooth or infrared. The same might be valid for other devices like the DVD drive or sound card.

Another tip that helps save energy is to turn off un-used external devices like printers and scanners. Most home users leave these devices on, even though they are only used about 5% of time spent on home computing on average.

6. Turn off the computer
This might be an obvious tip but there are a few myths surrounding this. Some users think that turning off a computer will reduce its lifetime. Others believe that it will cost more power to turn the computer off and on again than to put it to hibernate mode.

It might not make sense to turn off a computer system when going on a 5 minute break but it definitely make sense for longer breaks, e.g. lunch, meeting or overnight.

For more information on adding this type of equipment to your PC, contact Drake Hardware & Software at 319-752-1155.