Green Computing: Adjust Your System Settings to Save Energy (and Money)

Did you know that a computer that is left on in an idle state uses as much as 80 watts of power? If you tack on a typical monitor’s power usage too, it can add another 60 watts. With a just a few changes to your system settings, you can utilize power management settings to save power and money. Let’s examine some of the options available to you.

With the Windows operating system, there are two options for reduced power. The first is standby. It moves the computer into a low power state (1-3 watts). The major benefit of standby is that the computer will activate for use quickly.

The second option is hibernate, which also consumes 1-3 watts of power. It works by taking the contents of your system memory and writing it to the hard disk. Wake up time is slower than standby, but because the memory is written to the hard drive, it is safe in case of a power failure. Often a good strategy is to activate standby after 30 minutes or so of usage, and then hibernate after an extended period.  (View how-to information in IT Help)

On Mac systems, sleep can be enabled to draw less power. It is functionally similar to standby on Windows machines, so keep that in mind if you leave a lot of work open at a given time.

If you have questions about adjusting your computer settings, please contact the IT Services Support Desk at ithelp@muohio.edu or 513-529-7900.