Frequently asked questions about computers and energy:
- Should I turn off the computer each day?
- If I want to keep my computer on, how can I conserve energy?
- How much power does my computer use?
- Will it hurt my computer to turn it off each day?
You won't wear your computer out any faster by cycling it once a day, or even a few times a day. Modern computers just aren't that fragile. Jonathan Koomey, a project scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, says, "PCs are not hurt by turning them on and off a few times a day." (Wall St. Journal) .
Viruses and hackers are stymied by a computer that is powered off! With high speed internet, your internet is always on. So your computer is potentially vulnerable, if it is turned on. By powering off your computer when not in use, then you reduce your exposure.
Bottom line: Turn your computer off when you're done with it (or simply Sleep it), and don't worry about it.
It also doesn't take more energy to start a computer than to keep it running. The only extra energy it takes to start a computer is the two minutes or so it takes to start up, which is barely different than any other two minutes' of use. You'll always save energy by turning your computer off when you're not using it. Of course you don't have to turn it off since you can easily use the sleep or standby mode instead.
The myth of "turning it off uses more energy than keeping it on all the time" exists for just about every device that exists, and it's wrong in every single case, in practical terms. (Meaning, you will never, ever, ever see any savings on your electrical bill by keeping something on all the time vs. turning it off. Period.) You will always save electricity by turning your device off when you're not using it (or sleeping it, if it's a computer).
However, if you frequently use your computer, waiting for it to power up, can be very annoying.
My recommendations:
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Set the Power settings on your computer to automatically go into Sleep/Standby mode after 15 minutes or so of inactivity. If you do nothing else, do this.
- If you use a desktop, use an LCD monitor. They use less than half of the power than CRT's.
- Turn your computer off when you're done for the day.
Use a laptop computer. They use lots less energy than desktops.
- Use a power strip so you can easily turn off all your computer accessories at once. If you plug in your monitor, and printer, cable modem, router, etc., then by turning off your power strip, you save a lot on energy.
- Add another 35 watts for an LCD monitor, or 80 watts if you have an old-school CRT. Don't forget related devices. My cable modem uses 7 watts, my router uses 4.5 watts
Laptop computers use about 15-45 watts, far less than desktops.
- A screensaver that shows any image on the screen doesn't save any energy at all -- you save energy only if the monitor goes dark by going to sleep. If you turn the monitor off at the switch it will use 0 to 10 watts. (Some electronics equipment draws a small amount of energy even when it's switched off.)
Personally, I use my PC a lot, so I leave it on almost full time, but I let it go onto energy saving mode after 15 minutes, it will restart by moving the mouse, in just a few seconds. I do power it off, when I leave for a few days.
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