First The Facts
In a typical desktop computer, nearly half the power coming out
of the wall is wasted and never reaches the processor, memory, disks,
or other components. The added heat from inefficient computers can
increase the demand on air conditioners and cooling systems, making
your computing equipment even more expensive to run. Even though
most of today’s desktop computers are capable of automatically
transition to a Stand by (also known as sleep) or hibernate state
when inactive, about 90 percent of systems have this function disabled.
Some 25 percent of the electricity used to power home electronics—
computers, DVD players, stereos, and TVs is consumed while the products
are turned off.
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1 |
Turn off your computer at night so it runs
only eight hours a day—you'll reduce your energy use by 810kWh
per year and net a 67 percent annual savings. |
2 |
Plug your computer into a surge protector with a master
control outlet, which automatically senses when the computer
is not in use and cuts power to it and all your peripherals |
3 |
Purchase flat-screen monitors—they use significantly less
energy and are not as hard on your eyes as CRTs. |
4 |
Purchase an Energy star–compliant computer or laptop model
which uses much less energy than desktop units. |
5 |
Enable the Stand by (sleep) mode and power management settings
on your computer. |
6 |
Forgo the screen saver—it doesn’t save energy or your screen
unless you're using an old monochrome monitor. |
7 |
Review document drafts and e-mails onscreen instead of
printing them out. |
8 |
Power off your monitor when you are not using it instead
of using screen savers. |
9 |
Consider using an ink-jet printer—although a bit slower
than laser printers, inkjets use 80 to 90 percent less energy. |
10 |
Buy vegetable or non-petroleum-based inks—they are made
from renewable resources, require fewer hazardous solvents,
and often produce brighter, cleaner colors. |
11 |
Turn off all printers and peripherals unless you are using
them. |
12 |
Do not leave the computer running overnight or on weekends. |
13 |
Choose dark backgrounds for your screen display—bright-colored
displays consume more power. |
14 |
Reduce the light level in your room when you are working
on your computer. |
15 |
Network and share printers where possible. |
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Employing Desktop Computer Power Management
Stand by or Sleep Mode - Use this mode if you’re away from your
computer for frequent short periods of time. Stand by (sleep) mode
conserves energy by cutting off power to your display, hard drive,
and peripherals. After a pre-set period of inactivity, your computer
switches to a low power state. When you move your mouse or press
any computer key, you exit Stand by (sleep) mode
and your computer takes you back to its previous operating state.
Stand by (sleep) mode is an especially effective way to conserve
battery power in a laptop computer. However, if your computer loses
power for any reason while in Stand by (sleep) mode, you may lose
unsaved work. This is known as Sleep on Mac OS-X and Windows Vista
and Suspend on Linux.
Hibernate Mode - Use this mode if you’re away from your computer
for an extended period of time. Hibernate mode saves energy and protects
your work by copying system data to a reserved area on your hard
drive and then completely turning off your computer. It also reduces
wear and tear on your components. When you turn power back on, your
files and your documents appear on your desktop just as you left
them. Be sure to set your system to automatically go into periods
of time. This is known as Safe Sleep on Mac OS-X and on Linux this
is also known as suspend-to-disk.
Ecological Printing
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1 |
Use recycled paper: By purchasing recycled
paper, you are reducing waste and reducing energy consumption
and the quality of recycled paper is high. |
2 |
Use duplex printing: Duplex printing is the practice
of automatically printing to both sides of the paper, reducing
paper usage by 50%. Hewlett-Packard conducted an internal
case study, which reported that switching the duplex printing
can and will reduce the total paper volume by 800 tons. |
3 |
Use black and white printing: Use the black and white
printer option when ever possible as opposed to color printing
if color is not required. |
4 |
Consolidate your print infrastructure: By doing this
you can reduce the total space occupied by equipment and
transition from personal printing to more centralized workgroup-level
printing which in turn significantly reduces costs and
need for maintenance. |
5 |
Use digitally stored documents: Try storing
your documents digitally or using e-mail instead of snail
mail. In some respects you may find yourself more organized
storing documents electronically rather than printing them
and storing them in files. |
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