13 February 2009

PC Power Management: Good for PC's and People

 

Do the University and the environment a favor when you leave the office tonight:  Turn your computer off.  It’ll save the University money, lessen the environmental damage inherent in electricity generation, and prolong the life of your computer.

Are the potential savings large?

The Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program estimates that using effective power management for personal computers can save from $25 to $75 per year in electricity costs alone.  

The UM medical campus is home to some 10,000 PCs.  You can do the math.

Why are there such potential savings? 

Research shows that most PCs are not being actively used during the vast majority of the time that they are kept on. 

Even when a computer gets constant work-day use, the average worker is at the office about 40 hours per week.  But the average worker’s computer is left on 168 hours a week.

How can I conserve power during the work day?

Set your computer to “sleep” or “standby” when it's been idle for a prolonged period -- say more than an hour.  Computers and monitors use from one-quarter to one-tenth as much power in standby modes. 

  • ·         On Microsoft (Windows 2000/XP) systems, use the Power Options section of the Control Panel.
  • ·         On Apple (OS X) systems, use the Energy Saver selection under System Preferences.

Won’t it take a long time for my computer to “wake up”?

Because the electronics are kept “warm,” it takes very little time to restore a PC to full operation from a standby state.

Doesn’t turning the computer off regularly reduce its operating life?

Quite the contrary.  Cool downs and rest for moving parts are beneficial.  It's a myth that turning your computer off and on is harmful, unless you do that many, many times every day.

Can’t the IT department just turn my computer off automatically?

We could, but unlike most office environments the medical campus is a 24/7 operation.  Some computers are used at night and on weekends.  Some computers are used for processes that run all the time.

We’re working on centralized power management solutions that can be deployed safely in our environment, but for now it’s up to you. 

More information

For more information about computer power management, visit the Medical Information Technology web site here.