Electricity Savings

Here are a few simple ways to save energy on your computer systems.

The three options, in order of effectiveness, are:

Power down the system at night and on weekends: This option will save energy and extend the life of your computer. It is a common myth that turning computer equipment off and on is bad for it. Research on current technology shows an improvement in system life when the equipment is turned off, since heat and mechanical stress are the two leading causes of computer failure. On older equipment there was concern about power cycling stress (particularly on hard disks), but this is no longer true.

Turn off the monitor at night and on weekends: Monitors use 1/2 to 2/3 of the computer system's energy requirements (about 90 watts for the average monitor). If you are really conscientious, you can turn off your monitor anytime you will be away from your desk for at least 1/2 hour. (Some computers are on automated backup and therefore can't be turned off.)

Order a free monitor powersaver (or screen saver): For those of you who can't remember to do either #1 or #2, in-house energy management has free screen saver software for Macs, PCs, Suns, and UNIX terminals that will power down your monitor automatically when it is idle for a set period. It comes back on with any keystroke or mouse movement and the shutdown is time selectable. Please note, however, that screen savers do NOT reduce monitor energy use significantly. Call Antonia Reaves at x7228 (or e-mail) and ask for a WATTLESS display saver.

In the future, new computer systems will be EPA Energy Star Compliant (often called "green" equipment). That means, they will have built-in energy management technology, including automatic low-power standby modes. Even these systems should be turned off at night. With your existing systems, the suggestions above are the best ways to save energy and extend system life.

by Ken Woolfe