Computer Efficiency Preferences

In general the rules of energy use with computers are:

A) PCs tend to use more energy than Macs.
B) Desktops use more than laptops.
C) CRT monitors use more than flat screen monitors.
D) Peripherals can suck up a lot of energy.

For calculating you own computer’s savings, here's an online calculator.

You can make any computer use less by changing the system preferences to be more efficient.  If your computer screen doesn't go black after a 2 -5 minutes of not using it, you are wasting energy.  Screensavers actually take electricity to run. Not having your computer go to "sleep" can cost you up to $60 a year per computer (depending on your hard drive, monitor and peripherals).

Here's the way to shift a Microsoft computer to conserve energy(copied from Microsoft):

1) Open Power Options in Control Panel. (Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Power Options.

2) Click the Hibernate tab, select the Enable hibernate support check box, and then click Apply. If the Hibernate tab is unavailable, your computer does not support this feature.

3) Click the APM tab, click Enable Advanced Power Management support, and then click Apply. The APM tab is unavailable on ACPI–compliant computers. ACPI automatically enables Advanced Power Management, which disables the APM tab.

4) Click the Power Schemes tab, and then select a time period in System hibernates. Your computer hibernates after it has been idle for the specified amount of time.

Here's how to shift a Mac to conserve energy:

1) Choose System Preferences from under the Apple menu.
2) Choose Energy Saver.
3) Move the slide bars to put the computer and monitor to sleep after 2 to 5 minutes.
4) Click the button to put the hard drive to sleep when possible.

(Copied from EnergyStar)


Computers with power management features activated will still receive software updates such as new antivirus definitions and Windows security patches. For individuals and organizations without centralized IT departments, computer software is generally pre-configured to automatically download and apply updates shortly after resuming from system standby or hibernate.

Activating power management features is easy with EZ Wizard. EZ Wizard is a simple software tool that automatically activates power management features for you. EZ Wizard will help you decide the right power management settings — even if you’re not sure.

For more info:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.5/en/8596.html
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=power_mgt.pr_power_mgt_users