Tips for Energy Savings
Energy alternatives, carbon neutrality, sustainability and green initiatives; all have been touted as being one of the greatest challenges our world faces today. People are so accustomed to the ease of consumption, they don't realize energy as a being precious commodity that needs to be conserved.
Not only is our environment at risk because of these attitudes, our economy is also affected. As people search for ways to improve their monetary situation, one thing they can do is tackle both issues at the same time - through energy conservation. The information below is not all inclusive, but are some basic tips that people can do to help reduce energy waste and reduce our energy costs - putting more money back into our pockets. The focus here will be specifically bent on technology use.
- Buy Energy Star Products/Computers
Energy Star is s a government-backed program helping businesses and individuals protect the environment through superior energy efficiency. There are over 50 categories eligible for the Energy Star rating, ranging from appliances and home electronics to office equipment. Read more about this program here.
- Screen Savers? Don't Use Them
Back in the day, screen savers were designed to prevent images from being burned into the screens, appearing like a ghost image. Not really an issue with today's technology, and if you think about it - if your system is not going to be used for a long period of time, then why not consider step 3 below - turn it off.
Screen savers are also problematic and to tend to cause system performance issues (it is a resource watching/waiting for the inactivity timer to kick it into gear. If you need to step away from your system momentarily, use the Windows Lock utility (windows key - L) or turn off your system/display.
- Turn Off Equipment When Not In Use
A long time ago, it was taboo to turn of your computer equipment - thinking it would be too hard on the equipment and lead to more failures. With improvements in today's techology, that is no longer a concern. It is actually recommended to turn off your system when it's not in use. Heat builds up and it also draws in more dust, further compounding the heat issue, all of which can lead to component failures.
- Unplug the Power Cable
While most people would not realize it, even if you turn off your electronics (computers, VCR/DVD, televisions, etc...) those devices still consume energy, even monitors that are in sleep mode (they trickle amounts to maintain internal clocks and such to help faster turn on). If you unplug your computer, monitor, and printer from the wall, you will save even more energy.
LCD monitors use a small amount of electricity (about 35 watts). Energy Star LCD monitors will also power down into sleep mode, based on a computer's power management software, which saves more energy. However, even when turned off, the unit will still draw 1-3 watts of power. Having hundreds, or even thousands, of monitors it can still add up quickly. The only way to reduce the power down to zero is to fully unplug the cable from the power supply.