It occurred to Ed that we now have 9 computers, 4 smartphones, 2 large screen HDTVs, and various other electronics... all pluggled in and running 24/7. And with summer coming, the air conditioning has just kicked in....
So, we did a little research. We read all about how much energy all these things use. (See one site referenced below.)
Here's what we've come up with:
Go to the dollar store and buy several of those little AC outlet "light switches". They look like a little light switch but they simply turn the power on/off to whatever's plugged in to them.
Use one of these power switches "ahead of" every phone charger, every laptop charger, basically everything that has a "brick" (a transformer or charger). This way you can leave them all plugged in, but switch them OFF when not in use. (Note to manufacturers: Such a switch should be built-in!)
Next, keep the HDTVs off when not directly being watched.
Some computers can be put to "Sleep" well... But some have trouble coming back out of "Sleep" mode reliably. For this reason, I recommend the following:
Instead of just a screensaver (which saves no energy at all), set your Monitor to Sleep after so many minutes. This will save a LOT of money each year.
I don't recommend having your computer automatically go into a Sleep mode (since so many are not able to resume reliably), so I recommend simply doing a Shut Down when you're done using it.
Keep in mind that torrents will stop running, Skype will stop working - obviously everything the computer does.... will stop working. However, if you restart daily anyway, you might as well Shut Down when done... Then, Startup when needed.
If you run certain things 24/7 - like BitTorrent - then leave that ONE machine on... and Shut Down all the others. Set the monitor to automatically Sleep after a certain number of minutes.
According to these sites, a household could save up to $400 per year.... per PC.
That's significant!
Turn off 3 PCs when not in use.... and we can all go on an anual cruise with the money we save!
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