What is one of the simplest and easiest ways to start saving energy immediately? Hibernation! If bears can do it, why not your computer? Move over Goldilocks, because we’re about to show you an energy saving tip that is juuuust right.

The Savings

An average computer, if left on 24 hours a day, 365 days a year would cost $140-195 to run. That same computer, if left on hibernate, however, would only cost $2 to run. That’s a savings of up to $193 without even pushing a button!

What exactly is hibernation?

Like standby, hibernation is a lower energy mode than if you left you computer running constantly, but keeps everything you were working on open. To take the “sleepy” analogy a bit further, consider these power-saving computer options:

Automatically turn monitor off: This is like asking for your computer to “rest its eyes”. Although the monitor make turn off, the computer is still perfectly awake and can be turned on again by jiggling the mouse.

Standby: Similar to taking a nap, the computer may appear to be turned off, but when you “wake it up” easily in seconds by jiggling the mouse, the computer will look the same as how you left it. All the programs and documents will still be open.

Hibernate: This is the same as your computer taking a deep sleep, and is a bit more difficult to wake up. For this you need to push the power button, and it will take a minute to start up. Unlike when you shut down your computer, however, all the programs and documents you were working on will still be open (like standby).

Shut down: This is the lowest energy mode, which requires shutting down all the programs you were working on and takes a few minutes to completely close. It uses slightly less energy than hibernation.

Unplug: Zero energy mode. Although a computer may have been shut down, it may still draw some energy from the outlet (similar to TVs, stereos, DVD players, and cell phone chargers). To prevent this unnecessary energy loss, unplug completely from the wall or turn the outlet off.

How do I get my computer to hibernate automatically?

To set any of the above features to automatically save energy, please follow these steps:

1) Go to the START menu > then click on CONTROL PANEL

2) If possible, click on POWER OPTIONS

3) If step 2 is not possible, click on PERFORMANCE AND MAINTANENCE and then POWER OPTIONS

4) Click on the HIBERNATE tab. If the “Enable Hibernation” box is not checked, click now and press APPLY.

5) Select the POWER SCHEMES tab. Here you will select the amount of time your computer is left idle for these power-saving options to automatically take effect. Choose options that sound reasonable to you. Remember- you are making these changes to help save energy, not to be a nuisance. Don’t know what to set these to? Here are some suggested times:

	Plugged in	Running on batteries
Turn off monitor	5	3
Turn off hard drive	15	10
System Standby	15	10
System hibernates	30	20

* If you do not like to be prompted for a password every time you come back from standby or hibernate click on the ADVANCED tab in the POWER OPTIONS window. Ensure that “Prompt for password…” is not checked. Uncheck if necessary.

Some Myths About Computer Energy Consumption:

Myth #1: Turning the computer off and then turning back on uses more energy than just setting it to standby and is not good for the computer.

Simply not true!

Myth #2: A screensaver uses less energy.

Actually, a screensaver can use more energy than if the screen simply remained lit because it requires more processes to run.

What else can computers do to save energy?

For your next computer, consider purchasing an Energy Star rated computer. Conventional computer setups usually use 200-400W per hour. Energy Star rated computers can use less than 100W of energy per hour. Also, consider buying a laptop. Laptops are built to run on batteries, and have more energy efficient components inside.