Computer Power Management

Have you checked your computer's power management settings within the last year? For optimal performance and energy savings, you should use the following settings. Monitor off after 15 minutes (or less), hard drive off after 15 minutes (or less), standby or sleep mode after 30 minutes (or less). Please visit The Green Grid for more information about energy efficient computing.

Most computers come standard with a low power or sleep mode when the computer is inactive for a set period of time. By visiting the power management screen, you can choose a power plan to maximize your computer's performance or to focus on conserving energy.

To view power settings:

Access your systems "control panel" or "system and security." From there you will see a "power options" menu that will let you select a power plan for your computer to run. (Microsoft OS)

From this page you will be able to select the type of power plan that is the most energy efficient. The power saver mode will save energy by reducing the computer's performance whenever possible.

You can also edit the display and sleep times of your computer from this menu. The display time is the amount of time without touching your mouse or keyboard before the monitor powers down to conserve energy. Sleep mode is once your computer's display has been shut down, the rest of the computer will temporarily to further reduce consumption. Once the computer has entered either of these two modes, you simply need to wiggle the mouse for everything to start back up right where you left off.

Benefits of power saver mode:

• Save up to $50 annually on your electricity bills.
• Save time by eliminating the daily wait to reboot since you do not have to turn your computer off manually.
• Help the environment by reducing air pollution associated with the burning of fossil fuels.