Tips for Saving Energy on Your Desktop Computer

Patrick Chinn
pchinn@oregon.uoregon.edu

Power conservation means more than simply turning down the thermostat.

Desktop computers and monitors can consume as much electricity as five 60-watt light bulbs. Multiply this by the number of computers, monitors, printers and other devices we leave on 24 hours a day and the numbers are staggering.

What is even more staggering is that this waste is needless: nearly every personal computer manufactured since 1998 has the ability to reduce power consumption when idle. Unfortunately, most users are unaware of this feature.

Configuring a computer to save electricity is easy. First, turn your monitor off if it won't be used in the next few hours. Next, activate your computer's power management features by following the Windows or Mac configuration instructions below (Instructions are also available online at http://micro.uoregon.edu/conservation/).

Windows 98/ME/2000:
1. Click the Start menu and select "Settings"
2. Select "Control Panel"
3. In the window that opens, double-click "Power Management"
4. Click the "Power Schemes" tab at the top of the window
5. Select "Home/Office Desk"
6. Set "Turn off monitor" and/or "Turn off hard disks" to 30 minutes

Mac OS 7.5.2 or Newer:
1. From the Apple menu, open "Control Panels"
2. Open "Energy Saver"
3. At the top of the Energy Saver window, click the "Sleep Setup" tab
4. Under the heading "Put the system to sleep whenever it's inactive for...", move the slider to 30 minutes
5. If desired, click the "Show Details" button to configure separate sleep times for your display (your monitor) and your hard disk

With these settings, your computer and monitor will turn off after 30 minutes of inactivity. To "wake up" the computer, simply move the mouse or press the space bar.

Calculate Your Savings

If you want to calculate the money saved by using these power management features, see the Energy Star website at http://www.energystar.gov