10x12 Tools: Power Down (Electricity/Computers)

Background:

The average office computer and monitor use about 130 KWh of electricity. The computer uses 55 KWh and the monitor uses 75KWh. If they are on 24/7 this costs $80 a year, at our regional electricity rates, and generates 1,229.90 annual lbs. of CO₂ per computer annually, about the size of two and a half standard transit buses. (How Big is 1 Ton of Carbon?)

The cost of electricity may seem small, but multiply that by the number of computers on campus and it's easy to see how turning off our screen savers and setting computers to standby mode can get WWU closer to energy conservation and carbon reduction goals.

Strategies:

Disabling the Screen Saver and sending your computer to standby or hibernate when you leave your desk are easy ways to reduce electricity consumption, carbon impacts, and WWU utility costs. The screen saver doesn't save energy – in fact it uses just as much electricity as your monitor does when you are working.

One Action That Always Saves Energy:

Simply push the power button on your monitor to shut it off whenever you get up from your computer. Turn it back on when you sit down again. Your computer will use about 55% less electricity while the monitor is off, and your files will be right there when you turn it back on. You can put a small note on the corner of your monitor to remind you that just the monitor is off. After a while you'll remember to look for the monitor "on" light, and turn it on first, before you go to the computer button.

Screen Saver:

• Start>Settings>Control Panel>Display>Screen Saver>None
  1. Open the "start" menu
  2. Go to "settings"
  3. Go to "control panel"
  4. Open "display" – display properties folder will open
  5. Open "screen saver" tab.
  6. Click on down arrow, to see screen saver options
  7. Select "None"

Returning the screen to active mode is as quick
as hitting the spacebar or shaking the mouse.

Standby Settings:

• Start>Settings>Control Panel>Display>Screen Saver>
  1. Open the "start" menu
  2. Go to "settings"
  3. Go to "control panel"
• Open "display" – display properties folder will open
  1. Open "screen saver" tab
  2. In the Power Monitor box, Click on the "power" button
     • Suggested guidelines:
       1. Turn off monitor: 5 Minutes
       2. Turn off hard disks: Never (standby does this automatically)
       3. System Standby: 20 minutes

Manual Standby:

If you are not able to change your computer's power settings without administrative access, you can go to standby manually:

• Start>Shut Down>What do you want the computer to do?>Standby

When you return to work, pushing the power button
will bring your computer back to active mode.

To Determine Your Computer's Operating System:

• Start>Settings>Control Panel>System>General
  • Click on the start menu
  • Open "Settings"
  • Choose control Panel
  • Click on Systems
  • Click on the tab marked "General" – which will show what operating system your computer uses.

If this procedure doesn't work for you, your computer may have a different operating system than the general campus standard. You may need to contact your area IT specialist to request that your computer settings be adjusted for optimal energy savings.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q. Won't turning it on and off shorten the life of my monitor?
A. Well, theoretically maybe, but in practice, monitors are usually replaced when the computer is replaced, long before the monitor wears out. The payback in energy savings is immediate and ongoing, without shortening the useful life of the monitor.