Power Management for your Computer & Monitor
The number one thing you can do to save energy and money is to turn your computer off completely when you are not using it. However, we know that sometimes turning your computer off is not an option. Setting your computer to sleep mode is an easy no-cost way to save energy when you need to have the computer ready to use.
Putting your Computer & Monitor to Sleep
Power management features are standard in all Windows and Macintosh/Apple operating systems.
When you enable power management on your computer system (monitor, hard drives and CPU) it will automatically shift to a low-power sleep-mode after a certain period of inactivity. A touch of the mouse or keyboard “wakes” the computer, hard drive and monitor in seconds.
Allowing your computer to go into sleep mode can reduce energy use and noise, as well as prolong the battery life of laptop. You can also set more aggressive standby/sleep settings for laptop when it is in battery mode (not plugged in). When your PC consumes less power, you can save money on your energy bills.
If power management is not enabled or if you already have power management/ sleep mode enabled on your PC, it never hurts to double check the settings to see if there is room for improvement. EPA recommends that to maximize power savings you should set computers to enter system standby or hibernate after 30 to 60 minutes of inactivity. To save even more, set monitors to enter sleep mode after 5 to 20 minutes of inactivity. The lower the setting, the more energy you save.
Not sure how to activate the power management features on your computer?
Other helpful power management tips
Choose ENERGY STAR. An ENERGY STAR® computer can power down to a sleep mode that consume 15 Watts or less power, which is around 70% less electricity than a computer without power management features.
Give your PC the night off. Turn off computing and peripheral devices that are not being used overnight. Use an advanced power strip to easily switch all your electronics off when they are not in use. Many peripheral devices, such as your cell phone charger, continue to draw power (also known as stand-by power, vampire or phantom load) and generate heat even when not attached to a device. Using an advanced power strip ensures that electronics are not using energy when not in use.
Screen savers do not save energy. A screen saver draws power for the monitor to continue running and it can prevent a computer from entering sleep mode. Screen savers were originally developed to prevent the permanent etching of patterns on older monochrome monitors. Many modern LCD color monitors do not need screen savers at all. If you use your screen saver with monitor power management, set the screen saver "wait time" to less than the period of time after which the monitor enters sleep mode. If your screen saver appears but your monitor never enters sleep mode, your screen saver may be the culprit: try disabling it.
Before you walk away from your computer, shut down games and websites with animation. Many popular computer games and other third party software packages that run in the background will not allow the computer to enter the standby/sleep even if they are paused or the active window is minimized. Even some websites or pages that have active banners and or animated advertisements will not allow the computer to enter sleep mode.