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I used to have a desktop computer. I loved it for its power and speed. And the purchase price was good too. It became inadequate for my needs when I started traveling more.
How can I travel with my desktop computer? For a few years I opted to keep a notebook computer available for traveling. Before each trip I transferred the files I'd need from the desktop to the laptop. Oh, did that get old!
When we moved from Boulder, Colorado, to Ridgway, Colorado, where we lived in a yurt for nine months while our house was being built, I realized one way I could economize on space was to just use my notebook computer and not bother with the desktop. When you live and work in 300 "round feet", every cubic inch matters.
When it was time to get a new laptop, I got one that was capable enough to handle everything I needed to do, and used it all the time -- I could get rid of my desktop machine altogether, and have one computer, instead of two. That's very obviously more environmental. Traveling was less frustrating because I didn't have to do the file transfer anymore. Working was just as convenient with the laptop as the desktop.
The unanticipated bonus was the energy savings. Running a desktop computer and the monitor consumes more energy than a laptop computer does. In the summer we enjoyed the reduced heat load too. Of course, there were some winter nights where every little bit of extra heat would have been appreciated. But in general, what a wonderful green action to have taken!
How much electricity does your computer use? If you want to know exactly how much your computer uses you can get a watt meter and measure a typical 24 hour period. Multiplying that by the number of days a year the computer is on, even asleep, and dividing that product by 1,000, will tell you how many kilowatt hours (kWh) your computer setup uses.
Or multiply the watt rating your computer has (the number can be found on the back of your computer) by the number of hours a day it's on, and divide that product by 1,000 to get your daily kWh consumption. Multiply that by the number of days per year your computer is on to get your annual kWh consumption.
If you just want to generally know about computer consumption here's a list.
- typical desktop computer: 60-250w
- typical CRT: 85w
- typical LCD: 35w
- laptop: 15-45w
And newer computers, especially those that are Energy Star rated, consume less electricity than older computers.
According to one source, computers are the second highest energy consumer in the office, after lighting, consuming 40-60 percent of the office electricity used. You can save an enormous amount of electricity if you turn your computer off at night and on the weekends; those parts of the week account for 75 percent of the week. Further savings can be enjoyed by putting your computer into idle or "sleep" mode, a low power mode, when you aren't using it during the day.
Having a laptop computer is one energy saving step I take, but hibernating it at night and turning the extra monitor off too, is another step I take. It feels good to take easy, little steps like that.
If you want to be really energy conserving you could have your computer plugged into a power strip that you turn off at the end of the day and week; that cuts the phantom load that draws electricity even when an appliance isn't "running". I take that step when I'm traveling (my computer always goes with me) to cut the phantom load of my monitor and other peripherals.
When it's time to buy my next computer I'll be more attentive to its energy efficiency, and then manage the daily load closely.
How can I travel with my desktop computer? For a few years I opted to keep a notebook computer available for traveling. Before each trip I transferred the files I'd need from the desktop to the laptop. Oh, did that get old!
When we moved from Boulder, Colorado, to Ridgway, Colorado, where we lived in a yurt for nine months while our house was being built, I realized one way I could economize on space was to just use my notebook computer and not bother with the desktop. When you live and work in 300 "round feet", every cubic inch matters.
When it was time to get a new laptop, I got one that was capable enough to handle everything I needed to do, and used it all the time -- I could get rid of my desktop machine altogether, and have one computer, instead of two. That's very obviously more environmental. Traveling was less frustrating because I didn't have to do the file transfer anymore. Working was just as convenient with the laptop as the desktop.
The unanticipated bonus was the energy savings. Running a desktop computer and the monitor consumes more energy than a laptop computer does. In the summer we enjoyed the reduced heat load too. Of course, there were some winter nights where every little bit of extra heat would have been appreciated. But in general, what a wonderful green action to have taken!
How much electricity does your computer use? If you want to know exactly how much your computer uses you can get a watt meter and measure a typical 24 hour period. Multiplying that by the number of days a year the computer is on, even asleep, and dividing that product by 1,000, will tell you how many kilowatt hours (kWh) your computer setup uses.
Or multiply the watt rating your computer has (the number can be found on the back of your computer) by the number of hours a day it's on, and divide that product by 1,000 to get your daily kWh consumption. Multiply that by the number of days per year your computer is on to get your annual kWh consumption.
If you just want to generally know about computer consumption here's a list.
- typical desktop computer: 60-250w
- typical CRT: 85w
- typical LCD: 35w
- laptop: 15-45w
And newer computers, especially those that are Energy Star rated, consume less electricity than older computers.
According to one source, computers are the second highest energy consumer in the office, after lighting, consuming 40-60 percent of the office electricity used. You can save an enormous amount of electricity if you turn your computer off at night and on the weekends; those parts of the week account for 75 percent of the week. Further savings can be enjoyed by putting your computer into idle or "sleep" mode, a low power mode, when you aren't using it during the day.
Having a laptop computer is one energy saving step I take, but hibernating it at night and turning the extra monitor off too, is another step I take. It feels good to take easy, little steps like that.
If you want to be really energy conserving you could have your computer plugged into a power strip that you turn off at the end of the day and week; that cuts the phantom load that draws electricity even when an appliance isn't "running". I take that step when I'm traveling (my computer always goes with me) to cut the phantom load of my monitor and other peripherals.
When it's time to buy my next computer I'll be more attentive to its energy efficiency, and then manage the daily load closely.
Posted in: Technology
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