Today's computers are far more efficient that those of ten years ago. The advent of LCD monitors is slowly doing away with power sucking and desktop hogging CRT monitors. The CPU and motherboards are now equipped with power saving features that throttle back computing power and put the system into hibernation when it is left on and idle for long periods of time. Still, there are many ways to save electricity without sacrificing usability or power. Consider these simple green computing options.
Go Green With The EcoStrip
Believe it or not, even when turned off a computer system still pulls a small amount of power. Depending on the configuration and what peripherals that are installed it may pull as much as 20-30 watts of energy when turned off. This energy is used to power the internal clock, power the ethernet connection to your network, and other low power uses. Still, over time that small amount of energy adds up to big bucks. A company has now started to market in the US an intelligent power strip that also connects to your computer via USB. When the computer goes into shutdown, the Ecostrip turns itself off, cutting off the supply of energy to the attached devices and saving you money over the long run.
Purchase A Green Computer That Is EnergyStar Rated
Energy Star certification requires that a computer and its components meet very stringent standards for energy consumption. Using tools on the Energy Star site you can search to find what preassembled systems are Energy Star rated before you buy. When shopping in your local big box retail store look at the front of each machine to see if it carries the Energy Star label. If it does then you can be confident that it is as efficient as possible (as long as you still turn it off when you don't need it).
Just Turn It Off!
One of the myths that still exists in novice computing circles is that turning the computer on and off daily shortens its life due to the heating and cooling of the components. Again, at one point in history this may have been true, but today users need not be worried. In fact, with energy prices constantly rising simply turning off your computer when you are not using it (along with your other peripheral devices) may over time save you over half the cost of a new system by the time the old one finally succumbs to old age or obsolescence.
By doing any of these things you will save energy and money at the same time. Green computing is becoming more popular, so look for even more products to come out in the future with conserving power as a part of their marketing strategy.
