Power Down
Enable Computer Power Management Settings
HOW
Set your computer to enter system standby or hibernation mode after 30 minutes of inactivity and your monitor display to enter sleep mode after 15 minutes of inactivity. The lower settings you choose, the more energy you will save. For more information and frequently asked questions visit ENERGY STAR.
WHY
Your computer and monitor use up to 25 times more power when they are left on than when they are in sleep mode. Touching the mouse or keyboard "wakes" the computer and display in seconds. If each computer and display in U.S. homes was to sleep when not in use, we would save more than $1 billion in annual energy costs while preventing 15 billion pounds of greenhouse gases.
Math and Assumptions
- Power management settings are being applied to one computer and display.
- Computers to entering system standby or hibernation mode after 30 minutes of inactivity and displays entering sleep mode after 15 minutes of inactivity.
- Default of 36% as the percentage of computers turned off each night is based upon 2004 Lawrence Berkeley National Lab Report entitled "After-hours Power Status of Office Equipment and Inventory of Miscellaneous Plug-Load Equipment".
- Power consumed by a representative monitor in active mode (in Watts) = 32.
- Power consumed by a representative LCD monitors in sleep mode (in Watts) = 1.
- Power consumed by a representative desktop computers in active mode (in Watts) = 69.
- Power consumed by a representative desktop computers in sleep mode (in Watts) = 3. Source: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=power_mgt.pr_power_management
- Cost of electricity ($0.113/kWh) is pulled from the Energy Information Administration, Annual Energy Outlook 2009 (converted from 2007 to 2008 dollars). Source: http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/aeo/
- Average GHG emissions (output) per kWh of 1.54 lbs of CO2 equivalent is sourced from EPA’s Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP) number for 2009.
For more on how Do Your Part! calculates Co2 savings, please visit our Carbon Accounting page.
