How hard can it be to green up your computer? Just turn it off, you might say and turn it on the next time you are going to use it. Simple huh? It can be, and if you are willing to shut everything down, that’s all you’ll need to do.
Sometimes though, it just isn’t all that simple. Big downloads that you want to do when you go to bed are going to keep your computer running for a long time. Then, when the download is finished, your computer is still in fully functioning mode, burning up electricity while you aren’t even using it. That’s like leaving on a 120 watt bulb all night, because a standard desktop computer uses about 120 watts.
Well, here’s a way to make your comp automatically hibernate after you have been away from the computer for a given amount of time.
Go into your Start menu, find settings and then the “Control Panel” icon will come up. Click on that. When that window opens up, find the “Power Options” icon and then click there. Four tabs will pop up: Power Schemes, Advanced, Hibernate and UPS.
We want to work with two of these tabs: both the "Power Schemes" and the "Hibernate" tabs.
The first line after you click on the "Power Scheme" tab will let you tell the computer exactly what it is. That sounds funny, but a computer doesn’t know what kind of a computer it is unless you tell it. Mine is a desktop, so I scroll the first line down to "Home/Office Desk" which now gives your computer an identity.
There will be 4 subjects after this. In order they will be: "Turn off Monitor, Turn off Hard Disks, System Standby, System Hibernates."
Each one of these subjects will have a certain time setting that you can program into the computer. You can have it turn off the monitor one minute after you leave, or leave it on indefinitely. Each one will have a set time, and mine are all set to 15 minutes. I figure that if I’m gone from the computer for 15 minutes, I am not coming back anytime soon. That gives me plenty of time to turn on the computer in the morning and then go make some coffee.
The last subject called "System Hibernates" needs to be enabled by going to a top tab that says "Hibernate," then click on that tab and as the window opens up, click the little box that says "Enable." Your computer will now go into hibernation mode as soon as you or it is done working for the day. Hibernation mode only burns about 10 watts, which is equivalent to a night light, and if you are not into turning it off completely, this is the next best thing.
For printers, limit the carbon footprint by making sure to recycle used up cartridges. If you need to print something, always buy recycled paper, and use both sides. Print in draft mode whenever possible. Granted, it’s not letter quality printing, but for referencing or personal thoughts and ideas, you really don’t need to print out anything that looks great. It just needs to be readable, and besides, you’ll save ink in the process.
Power strips for computer add-ons are energy vampires. We all might turn off our accessories, but the power strips are electrified and have lights and switches that are eating power. Flip the switch on a power strip instead of turning off individual accessories.
Cable and satellite modems are power wasters too. Unless I am in the middle of a download, I turn off my cable modem before I go to sleep. That has two advantages. It saves power, of course, but it also allows no one else to access your computer while you sleep or are away. Remember, your modem is connected to the outside world, and as long as you have it on, you are at risk of an infection.
Use these tips to lower the carbon footprint of any computer and Because Action speaks louder than words, you’ll save a little extra green in your pocketbook as you go!
Source: BecauseAction.com
