Trying to conserve energy, can you help me out?

Question

We just moved into a new home and are looking to conserve energy. I have an laptop and it takes a while to boot and shut down so were thinking if the sun's up we might as well just keep it on. So does a computer use any more energy if it has more processes and programs running or is it pretty much constant regardless of what its doing while idle?

Answer 1

On some computers there is a power option. click on power saver. Also, Keep the sir conditioning at 63 degres before you sleep. Change all your light bulbs to the little swirly ones. Take quick showers. Turn off water when you brush your teeth. Wash vegtables in a bowl.

Answer 2

I figured out a great way to conserve energy. I retired. I do not exercise. I make sure that I always know where the remote controls are for my TV sets. Also I found a way so that I never have to move more than 20 feet to watch TV, turn on a Computer, get something to eat or go to the bathroom. I never turn off any of the lights on any of the things that I have plugged in as it requires me to expend too much energy to get to these things. How am I doing so far?

Answer 3

The more work it is doing the more energy it must consume. But the amount of energy consumed is mostly dependent on clock speed. If it drops back to  standby, it uses far less power.

We get better economy if we use  hibernate instead of shut down if we are planning to be back soon.

Let the screen go black if you are not using if for 5 minutes.

It would not, in any event be energy efficient to run an air conditioner to maintain a temperature of 60F.  A temperature of 80F, perhaps but not 60.

Yes the computer will run more efficiently at 60. but not enough to compensate for cooling the house, even one room to 60.

Answer 4

Turn your Air Conditioner on and leave it set at 60 degrees indefinately and it wont matter what you do with your computer. The cool air remarkably makes computers run very energy efficient.

Answer 5

I have a HUUUUGE list available at www agua-luna com it's like 33 pages long and would just spam this whole answer. But here's a few cut from the list below. if you'd like the entire list feel free to visit www agua-luna com or email me through the site directly and I’ll send you a copy.

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You could also Volunteer with us, planting a tree or working on a Sustainable Renewable Energy Building Project in Mexico with us. Again see www agua-luna com for more info.

I also do some free consulting, there's more info on the site about that too. Here’s some more ways to help the environment…

Recycle paper, cardboard, newsprint and magazines.

Recycle aluminum cans.

Recycle all batteries.

Recycle and reuse. Roughly 50% of the average person's trash can be recycled. Don't forget that hazardous waste like batteries, your printer's ink cartridges, and cell phones can be recycled too! Find out how and where to recycle in your area. Always buy recycled paper. Just 1 ton of recycled paper saves 17 trees.

Just because your community doesn't pick up all recyclables on the curb, it doesn't mean there are not viable alternatives nearby. Check with dry cleaners, supermarkets, manufacturers, your local public works department and civic organizations to find out where recycled goods can be dropped off, at a location near you.

Did you know that just in 1995 alone, recycled toner cartridges kept over 21,000 tons of trash out of landfills? Believe it or not, now you can recycle your printer's toner cartridges! Every year, Americans throw out enough printer cartridges to stretch from Los Angeles to New York City and back again. Toner cartridges can be recycled, having just as good a performance as an unrecycled cartridge. To recycle your toner cartridges, find a local business that does printer cartridge recycling, or contact the manufacturer of your current toner cartridge and ask about a cartridge recycling program.

Not only should you recycle, but buy products that are recycled. By purchasing these products, you are helping to conserve natural resources, and to protect the environment.

Wash clothes in cold water.

Hot water is unnecessary for most clothes. When needed, use warm water.

Fill your toilet tank.

Put a plastic bottle or two, filled with water and rocks, in your tank to reduce the amount of water used in each flush.

Clean your filters.

Clean the filters of your air-conditioners once a month to improve energy efficiency. While you’re at it, change your car’s filters as recommended in your manual.

Get a low-flow shower head.

Stop at the hardware store on your way home, and get a low-flow shower head. Takes a few minutes to install, and it’ll save gallons of water a day.

Lower your thermostats.

If you use heating, get by with less heat and wear warmer clothes. If you use air-conditioning, get by with less cooling and wear cooler clothes.

If it’s a nice sunny day, hanging clothes only takes a few minutes, and you’re using solar power instead of electricity to do the job. It also makes your clothes last longer.

Turn down your water heater.

Most people have their water heater’s thermostat turned up too high, wasting energy. Turn it down to 130 degrees, saving energy but still hot enough to kill bacteria.

Use CFC light bulbs.

If your light bulb burns out, replace it with a Compact Flourescent bulb (those spiral-looking ones). They’re more expensive, but if you just replace them one at a time, it doesn’t cost much, and the energy savings is great. And as they last longer, over the long run, you’ll save money.

Wash and dry only full loads of laundry and dishes.

Follow your community's water use restrictions or guidelines.

Install a low-flow shower head.

If you are not looking to change your car just yet there are a number of ways you can be more environmentally friendly and help you save money by conserving fuel.

Lighten your car to reduce weight by not carrying unnecessary items.

Cut your speed and stick to the speed limits

Drive smoothly avoiding heavy accelerating and braking.

When stationary for a long time, switch off the engine.

Closing windows will make the car more efficient by being more aerodynamic.  Remove roof bars when not is use also helps.

Make sure your tyres are properly inflated as under inflated tyres cause more resistance.

Where possible, walk, cycle or even use public transport.  

If possible lift share to reduce the number of cars on the road.

Try mass transit.

Millions of people use it, and it saves tons of fuel. If you don’t already, give it a try.

Unload your car.

Remove excess weight from your car (such as stuff that might be in the trunk) to reduce the amount of fuel you use.

Walk instead of drive.

You don’t have to do this all the time, but walking the short trip to a store, or to lunch from work, or some other short trip like that, can reduce the amount of fuel you use over the long term, and you shed some fat at the same time. Or at least burn off that morning donut.

Buy a smaller car.

You won’t be able to do this today, probably, but the next time you’re in the market for an automobile, get a smaller and energy-efficient car rather than a big, lumbering one. It’s one of the best things you can do to reduce your fuel consumption.

Inflate your tires.

Many people don’t realize that their tires are under-inflated. Check the recommended pressure for your tires, and fill them up to that pressure. It only takes a few minutes, but it will save you on fuel consumption (a little) and more importantly, make your tires last longer and reduce the rubber that’s worn off your tires.

Get creative with gift-giving. The gift of time, services, or environmentally positive gifts may be more appreciated than disposable goods that are not to the taste or needs of the recipient.

Look into those lifestyle changes you’ve been putting off

Work from home more. Many organisations, when prodded a little, will accept flexible work arrangements where there is no impact to the work that needs to get done.

Use your oven less.

The oven not only uses a lot of energy, it heats up your kitchen, requiring more cooling. Instead, use toaster ovens, crockpots, microwaves, and electric grills when you can. And when you do use your oven, open it less - you lose 25% of the heat every time you open the oven door.

Mend your stuff.

Try not to throw stuff away and buy new stuff if the old stuff can be fixed. Torn clothing? Takes a few minutes to sew up.

Install a water filter.

If you buy a lot of bottled water, use your tap instead. Some places need a filter to make tap water taste drinkable, but they don’t cost much and they can save money, water, and plastic bottles over time.

Unplug appliances.

If you don’t use an appliance several times a day, it’s better to unplug it, as they often use energy even when turned off

Use rechargeable batteries.

Instead of throwing your batteries away all the time, reuse rechargeable batteries. Costs a little more, but cheaper in the long run.

When you’re looking to buy appliances, be sure to research the most energy-efficient ones. They may cost a little more, but they’ll more than make up for that in the long run with lower energy bills.

Buy a smaller home.

The next time you’re home-shopping, instead of buying the McMansion, look for a smaller home that’s big enough to meet your needs comfortably. Reducing the amount of stuff you own is a good way to need less house. It’s cheaper, and requires less energy to heat and cool. And easier to clean at the same time.

Look for energy efficiency.

Use acryllic paint.

Compost.

It’s not hard to set one up (look it up online), and you can save a lot of waste from the landfill and help your garden at the same time

Water grass early in the morning.

Reduces the amount of water you need to keep your grass looking fabulous.

Plant shade trees near your house.

It’ll take awhile before they can make a difference, but shade trees greatly reduce the need to cool a home.

Coat your roof.

This’ll take up an afternoon, but you only have to do it once every few years. And it’ll save you a lot of money and energy in heating and cooling over the long-term, more than making up for the cost of paint.

Avoid fast food.

Instead, eat at home or at a sit-down restaurant. Fast food restaurants are one of the worst polluters of the environment, both in the massive amounts of beef they must raise, in the wasted packaging, and in the energy they use in so many ways. And they’re tremendously unhealthy.

Buy a manual reel mower or electric mower.

If you’re looking for a new lawn mower, and you have a small yard, consider getting a manual one. They’re much advanced from the reel mowers of our grandparents’ generation, much quieter, cheaper, and they save on fuel and pollution. Electric mowers are also quieter and use much less energy.

Clean up.

Hope this helped, feel free to contact me personally if you have any questions if you’d like assistance in making your first self sufficient steps, I’m willing to walk you step by step threw the process. I’ve written several how-to DIY guides available at  www agua-luna com on the subject. I also offer online and on-site workshops, seminars and internships to help others help the environment.

Dan Martin

Alterative Energy / Sustainable Consultant, Living 100% on Alternative & Author of How One Simple Yet Incredibly Powerful Resource Is Transforming The Lives of Regular People From All Over The World... In

Answer 6

I found a very detailed study that was done on computer energy use - both for desktops and laptops.  I didn't read all 64 pages of it, but it seemed to have quite a bit of information on energy use by laptops in different modes.   I've put the link below.  Perhaps that will give you what you are looking for.

It's my understanding that the current "sleep" modes that are available will drastically reduce the amount of energy that your laptop uses.  I'd suggest playing with the sleep mode so that the computer goes to sleep when not in use.   Then, at night, I would shut the computer down completely.

But then, I didn't read the study.

Good luck.

Great question.

Answer 7

My answer has nothing to do with computers, but, I've been conserving energy for a while now. A few years ago I doubled my supply of underwear. Now I use the washing machine half as much.

I also tend to cut up my rubbish so more fits into each plastic reuse sack, so instead of putting my bin out every week it now goes out once a fortnight.

Surely the day of the computer powered by solar panels isn't far away. I shall have a 'Google' and find out. I'm curious.

Found it!

http://uk.nine.ebid.net/perl/auction.cgi... This is a kit whichenables laptops to run on solar poer. It's £232 and it's available on e-bay

Answer 8

Why do all you people care leave your computer on, turn it off throw it in the bin, put it on your roof. It will not make any difference.