Energy-Saving Tips for Major Appliances: Computer
Computer systems are very common in many households. They have many uses for communication, entertainment, education, research, social interaction and many others. With its many uses, computer systems are also becoming one of the biggest consumers of energy in every household. However, by doing simple things and observing some helpful tips, you can greatly reduce your computer’s energy usage.
Computer System Energy Saving Tips
1. If you have to leave your computer on, make sure to turn off the monitor as it consumes more than half of the system’s energy consumption.
2. When not in use, set your computer system to sleep mode. It will help you cut on energy usage by around 40 percent.
3. Turn off your computer when not in use instead of having it on screensaver. Shutting down or starting up your computer will not cost you extra energy usage, but screensavers do. Another alternative is to put it in standby mode or hibernation. As a rule of thumb, it is ideal to turn off the monitor if you know that you will not be able to use your computer for more than 20 minutes and the CPU and monitor if more than 2 hours.
4. If you are still using a CRT monitor, consider replacing it with an energy-star LCD monitor which will let you save more than half the energy consumption of a CRT monitor. In the long run, the savings you get will be more than enough to cover the cost of the new monitor.
5. Change your power setting so that your monitor and hard drive will automatically turn off or change to power-saving mode after a certain time of inactivity; this can help reduce energy consumption.
6. When you set your monitor to brighter modes, it uses more energy. Reducing your monitor’s screen brightness can give you significant savings on energy.
7. Enable the power-saving mode of your monitor to place it in sleep mode if there’s inactivity from the keyboard and mouse. It could also reduce your monitor’s energy usage.
8. Turn off all devices and extra peripherals attached to your desktop such as printers and speakers when not in use as they still consume power as long as they are plugged in.
9. If possible, consider purchasing a laptop since it uses less energy instead of using a desktop computer.
10. When using a laptop, turn off devices like wireless capabilities, infrared or Bluetooth when not in use. This could save you battery power thereby reducing charging time.
11. If you have an old computer, consider replacing it with a newer and more energy-efficient processor.
12. Periodically clean your computer. Poor ventilation caused by dust and dirt will increase the temperature within your computer thereby causing your CPU fan to spin faster and consume more energy.
Computer systems whether desktop or laptop are becoming indispensable in this Internet age. But this is not an excuse for you not to make any effort to reduce your computer’s energy consumption as much as possible. This way, you will not only reduce your electricity bill but you can also contribute something good for the environment.