A great deal of excitement is spreading about new methods of power generation and distribution. Most notable in the news is the coming electric car with power supplied by wind, solar, tidal, or geothermal sources. Talk of new intelligent power transmission grids is growing, and localized, distributed power generation will someday become a reality as smaller scale wind and solar generators become competitive with fossil fuels in price and distribution becomes less centralized and more Internet-like.

But these are all solutions that require large-scale development, huge up-front capital expenditures, complex deployments, trials, and cooperation among civil and private entities. As dire as energy concerns have become, it might be better to focus on the other end of the spectrum where each individual can act to improve the energy situation right here and right now at absolutely zero cost and almost no inconvenience.

It’s really quite simple. Turn your computer and display off. And hit the light switch on your way out.

That’s it. Turn them off when the day is done.

Furthermore, whenever you’re going to be more than a minute or two away, let your computer take a nap. After all, when you’re not actively looking at the screen or typing at the keyboard, there’s really no reason to be powering all those pixels and spinning the hard drive. Given the rapid wakening of modern machines with today’s operating systems, it seems downright foolish to waste power keeping a machine in an ever-ready state when it can recover to wakefulness, ready to do your bidding in just a few seconds.

And there are solid grounds for doing these few simple things, the primary of which is that in these times of budget reductions, it saves money. Lots and lots of money

There are approximately 6000 NAU-owned computers, most of which are desktops with an estimate of about 1000 laptops in use on any given day. The majority—about 80 to 85 percent—are Windows-based machines of various manufacture, with the remainder Macintosh systems and some Linux. One thing common to all of these different hardware and software platforms is that when they are turned off, they consume zero watts. If it’s off, it costs nothing.

In sleep/hibernate mode, it’s a slightly different story, but the majority of modern systems also consume zero watts. A few models—the worst offenders—burn less than seven watts when put into sleep or hibernation mode, and across the board the savings over simply running a screensaver or leaving the machine idle but awake are substantial. In fact, in the case of a machine using zero watts, it is essentially an infinite improvement in energy consumption. For those less efficient sleepers, it is still a savings on the order of 90 percent or greater.

In fact, here’s one myth to put to rest once and for all: screen savers do not save energy. And in many cases, a blank screen does not save nearly as much as one totally turned off or one in sleep mode. The greatest savings comes from turning off your monitor whenever you’re away for more than a few minutes. In some cases, simply setting the sleep setting at a short interval is equally frugal, but the surest way, regardless of configuration, is to turn it off.

Another myth—sleep mode is hard on hard drives—is ripe for debunking. Modern hardware is designed for energy optimization and is also far more robust than units from just a few years back. When asleep or off, no harm can be done to these components, and putting them in this state not only saves energy but also unnecessary wear and tear.

Remember—energy conservation beats energy efficiency, so no matter how efficient a device may be, it can never be as efficient as when it is turned off.

Bottom line: If the 1000 laptops and 5000 desktops are all turned off for an additional 58 hours per week, the savings to NAU over one year would be over $82,000! Is there any reason not to do your part?

Below you’ll find tips on how to optimize your system for maximum power savings. All the information presented in this piece is based on statistics from extensive local NAU research on power use of specific computer systems found on campus. So while we’re waiting for the Next Big Thing in power production, let’s do all those Current Little Things that can add up to large, measurable, and beneficial savings.

Other Office Energy Tips

1. Remember—you’re the boss in your office, so manage your office energy use wisely.
2. Energy Star®-labeled computers use 70 percent less energy than those without this designation. Energy Star® computers also run cooler and last longer. If all computers sold in the United States met the ENERGY STAR requirements, the savings in energy costs would grow to about $2 billion each year and greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced by the equivalent of 2 million cars.
3. If you are a supervisor or manager, consider holding an energy-savings meeting to ensure that all persons are aware of the need and means to save energy. You can also perform random energy audits to see how efficiently energy is being used.
4. Power down other office machines at the end of the day: copiers, fax machines, printers, shredders, and so on.
5. Instead of Google, use Black Google aka Blackle (blackle.com), which is primarily black in color, allegedly saving energy by requiring less of it to light fewer pixels. Even with its small savings, the use of Blackle reminds us to stay vigilant on energy consumption.
6. Consider a laptop instead of a desktop machine for your next computer upgrade.
7. Plug all your home and office electronics into power strips that can themselves be powered off. Many home electronic devices still consume power even when off.
8. Use natural light whenever possible and task lighting rather than overhead lighting. This also contributes to less eyestrain and a better overall state of mind. And sunlight can really brighten an office, even on a cold day.
9. Clean lighting surfaces and reflective surfaces regularly. It’s surprising how much more light shines from a freshly cleaned light cover. In fact, while you’re at it, clean your glasses too.
10. Unplug battery chargers when the battery is fully charged.
11. In summer, close curtains or blinds on south-facing windows, and in winter, open them.
12. Dress for the season rather than using the thermostat to make up for bad sartorial judgment. Keep a sweater in your office in winter, or in summer if your office happens to be in a cold spot in the building.
13. Print two-sided copies, and if you have paper with only one side used, print or copy to the back.
14. Finally, remember that energy conservation is always superior to energy efficiency