Computers, laptops, and other appliances account for about 20 percent of an average home's electricity bills, according to the Department of Energy. Turning off this equipment when it's not in use is the best way to save energy, but it may not always be practical. As for screen savers, they don't actually save energy ("screen wasters" just didn't catch on). Instead,
configure power management features, like hibernate or sleep mode, which begin after a specified period of inactivity.
What's the
difference between sleep and hibernate, you ask? They both
use very little energy (between 1 and 3 watts). Computers wake up fastest from
sleep mode, aka system standby or S3 sleep state, and they save what you were doing in RAM (unless there's a power outage, which would eat unsaved work).
Hibernate is similar to turning your computer off; info is saved on your hard drive instead of RAM. It takes a little longer to bring your computer back to consciousness than sleep mode, but it's faster than if you had turned it off. (It's when computers have their most vivid dreams.)
Energy Star computers use between 30 and 60 percent less electricity than standard computers, and using power management ensures that you save the most energy possible. These features don't affect performance or connectivity, and they're often set by default, but you can benefit even more by lowering the inactivity time from 60 minutes to 15, for example.
Don't have an Energy Star computer? You can still save money by using power management. In fact, you could save between $25 and $75 a year by using it on one computer, according to Energy Star. Power management also helps computer equipment last longer. This, combined with lower electricity consumption, reduces environmental impact.
1. Consult the manual for your devices to learn about available power-management features and considerations for using them.
2. For computers running Windows XP or Windows Vista, go to Power Options in Control Panel. Alternatively, you can use power management software, like Verdiem's Edison (Windows XP or Windows Vista) or the Energy Star's EZ Wizard (Windows 2000 or Windows XP). For Macintosh computers, go to Energy Saver in System Preferences.
3. Configure the inactivity settings.
4. Use the equipment normally and adjust the settings as needed.
Consider using a power strip to completely
cut power to home office equipment when you are not using it. It's easier than unplugging it, and you can save even more energy.
Choose Energy Star electronics. They must meet EPA requirements for energy efficiency, including wattage consumed while they doze.