by Meike about 1 month ago

I've been doing this for all my life. Why would anybody leave their computer on all the night? I can't see any good reason for that...

I always have my computers configured to be as energy efficient as possible.

I always do this at home and at the office, I turn the monitor off too, never leave it in standby. It's a habit for me.

ALways do it at home so easy goal to meet - turn offeverything was instilled at an early age during 1970's energy crisis. Recently helped to set up an ISO14001 scheme at office including a turn off policy - found it very hard going as ethos was that 'its not my bill! However we ran competitions did spot checks and gave out choccies as prizes and the rate of turn off has really improved. Lights, fans and computers. Poster and reminder post its all played a part. However it took real managemtn buy in and really dedicated people to make it work

by FullCreamMilkMan 7 months ago

I've been switching off all my computer equipment (and most electronic stuff around the house) for years. I even did it at the office, when I was last employed in one, which drew some odd glances as I dived under the desk to switch off at the sockets too. Until, that it, I managed to persuade a good bunch of others to do the same.

If you're at home, don't forget your router too!

by Gulopine 7 months ago

When I was a kid, we used to leave the computer on all the time - interestingly enough - in an effort to conserve energy. The idea back then was that the energy required to start a computer (get the fans up to speed, initialize all the disks, etc) was greater - for us - than the energy required to keep it going for the short gaps where it wasn't in use.

Of course, that's less and less valid every year, as many components consume less power with every iteration, and as an adult, I find that I use my home computer for less of the day than I did as a kid, so I've been turning it off regularly for years now.

But, for the record, there may still be some value in leaving your computer on overnight if it's in use constantly. Say you have a father who checks the weather and traffic information every morning before work, a wife who runs a home eBay business during the day, and kids who surf well into the night. For the few short gaps where it'll be turned off, it may be more energy-efficient to leave it on. This would be best checked with a power meter before deciding one way or another, though.

Most new Dell desktops consume between 1.5 and 5 Watt in Sleep-Mode, according to their US website (can’t find any info on their Irish web-site).
The more I am trying to answer someone’s questions and my own, the more I realise that it is really worth it to invest in a power meter and see what kind of an effect it has to turn a device off. I am going to make this my next task. :-)

by Gavan 8 months ago

don't be so pernickity emilio

you have no answers so don't rubbish the question

some people like to understand the implications of what they're doing

the question IS how much energy is saved.
if you think you're on a patience website you're even dimmer than your energy saving comment below.

With regards to edster's 'story' below, which should probably be a "Q(&A)" I don't know how much power a Dell Desktop consumed in Sleep moder, but I wonder the same thing about my (iMac). However, I think the point about this goal is just to do it and not to be pernickety (wow! not sure I've written that word before) about how much you'll save or how worth it it is. It's not so much 'how much will it save?' but more 'how long can't you wait until you computer has started up?!' If it seems to take a long time, then power up the computer first thing and then go make a cup of tea, or clean your teeth, or open the post. You might find yourself enjoying more tea, cleaner teeth, or actually getting more filing done in the process!

by edster 8 months ago

Anyone know how much power is consumed when a Dell Desktop type pc is in "sleep" mode? It is not fully off and starts up quicker. I usually turn off my bome completely at night, but sometimes use the "sleep" mode when I need it to start up really quickly.