Simple tips save power and the environment

Make it manual

You can also put your system into suspend mode manually any time you want:

In XP, choose Start and then click Turn off Computer. Click the Stand By option.

In Vista, choose Start, click the arrow button in the menu’s bottom-right corner, and choose Sleep.

In Vista, sleep mode may be the default, so simply clicking the power button in the Start menu puts the computer to sleep.

Try other low-power moves

In addition to getting the most out of suspend mode, you can take other steps to reduce your power consumption and save money:

Use a power strip. Plug peripherals (like printers, audio systems, monitors) into a power strip or UPS. Then turn it off when you want all of your equipment to turn off.

Lose the brick. Once your laptop or notebook computer is fully charged, unplugging the recharger from the wall will save some electricity. As long as the computer is in suspend mode or some other low- or no-power mode, it won’t need to be plugged in again for hours.

Lose the CRT. According to Sask Power, LCD monitors use 66% less electricity than the older CRT type. Maybe this is the time to switch to that LCD screen you’ve been wanting. If you can’t afford to change right now, at least get in the habit of turning off the CRT’s power switch every time you leave your desk for more than a few minutes.

Check power saving options. See if your printer or external hard drives have power-saving modes. For example, many of Western Digital’s external “My Book” hard drives have a GreenPower feature.

Use a smart power strip. Some newer power strips use a motion sensor to decide if you’re still at your computer. If not, they shut down power to certain sockets (such as ones for peripherals) after a user-designated time has elapsed. Other power strips shut off several sockets, based on whether you’ve powered down a device plugged into the “control” socket. The Tree Hugger Web site discusses examples of each.

You don’t need to wait for new computer designs to make your computing a little more green friendly. By tweaking a few settings and getting into a few good habits, you can make a difference for your pocketbook and the planet.

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This entry was posted on Friday, November 16th, 2007 at 8:05 am and is filed under Computer. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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