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Frequently Asked Questions About Computer Power Management The Tufts Climate Initiative (TCI) is the pioneer in the field of climate change mitigation at institutions of higher learning. At Tufts University over 8000 computers are being used. Much of the increase in electricity consumption at Tufts over the last few years can be attributed to the large increase in technology usage (see inventory). Enabling Power Management can save thousands of dollars each year. If you want to manually set up Power Management, here are instructions for: Windows 98 | Windows ME | Windows 2000 & XP. Find below answers to the most FAQ: Go back to Computer Power Management Power management is a process that allows monitors and computers to enter low-power states when sitting idle.The monitor turns off, the CPU reduces power consumption, and the hard disk spins down.We currently recommend to only power down the monitor. (see answer to question number 3) 2. Why Should I Use Power Management? At Tufts, over half of the greenhouse gas emissions come from electricity and consumption is rapidly increasing (see inventory). Nationwide, PCs and monitors in commercial and industrial settings use 32 billion kWh of electricity each year -- over 1.5% of all electricity consumed by the commercial sector. More than half of this energy could be saved by taking two simple steps:
3. Why focus on monitor power management rather than computer power management? TCI recommends enabling only the monitors' power management features that turn off the monitor or place it in standby mode after the computer has been idle for a period of time. TCI also recommends manually turning off computers and monitors during extended periods of non-use, such as nights and weekends.This approach captures almost 80 percent of the potential energy savings. There have been problems associated with CPU power management functions in Windows 95 and 98 that in some cases interfere with downloading and network connections. Although these problems might be resolved in the future, we currently to only power down the monitor. 4. How do I know if computers and monitors have power management capabilities? The table below illustrates the different power management options in Windows. (Mac users see answer 14)
The availability of these options is dependent on compatibility of operating system (including APM/ACPI), BIOS, and processor hardware. 5. How can I tell if my monitor is enabled for power management? If your screen goes blank after a period of inactivity, your monitor power management is enabled. In Windows 95, 98, Millennium Edition and 2000, you can also can check monitor power management status by clicking on the Start button, then selecting Settings, Control Panel, Display, Screen Saver, and Monitor Settings. 6. How long do I have to wait for my monitor to recover? Monitor recovery time, which depends on monitor type, indicates the type of low-power mode. If recovery from the blank screen is instantaneous, the monitor is likely in the first power management mode, standby or sleep. If 10 seconds or so are required for recovery, the monitor is likely in the second, lower power, mode, suspend. 7. Does monitor power management affect receipt of e-mail or downloading of files from the Internet? If monitor power management is enabled, the screen may go blank during long download sessions. However, this will not interrupt the download operation. Power management also does not affect receipt of e-mail, faxes, or phone calls. 8. Does power management affect the useful life of my computer or monitor? Power management does not have a negative effect on the useful life of computers and monitors. On the contrary, when equipment powers down, it generates less heat, collects less dust, and reduces mechanical stress, promoting a longer and more reliable life for the computer and monitors. 9. Are computers and monitors with power management more expensive? No. Computers and monitors with power management are not more expensive than equipment without power management capabilities. 10. Why does power management, enabled for my monitor, appear not to be working? Some monitors, even after power management enablement, may not enter sleep mode because they may be incapable of power management, or a screen saver may be interfering with power management operation. 11. Why does my monitor wake up a few minutes after going to sleep? Some screen savers can cause this, but the screen saver can usually be reconfigured to avoid this problem. Avoid screen savers that require hard disk access. Also, make sure that the screen saver delay time is less than the monitor power management delay time setting. In addition, some networks can reawaken a computer after a short period of power management. See if the machine manages power correctly when not connected to the network. If so, see if the server or network card can be reconfigured. 12. How can I save energy if power management is not possible on my monitor? If power management is not possible, you can switch off the screen when not in use for prolonged periods. This will save 50-70% of the power used by the computer. During non-use hours, such as nights and weekends, you can turn off both your monitor and your computer, which reduces energy use to near zero. Note that newer monitors have a separate wall socket for both the monitor and the computer, so both have to be turned off. In earlier computers, the monitor was usually connected to the computer's power supply, so that the monitor was turned off when the computer was turned off. In addition, the switch on the front of the monitor may be only the standby power switch. Some monitors have their on/off switch on their back or side. 13. Do screen savers save energy? Screen savers were originally developed to prevent the permanent etching of a pattern on older monochrome monitors caused by a single image projected over a long period of time. Screen savers would prevent this by either blanking out the screen entirely or by displaying a constantly moving image. Modern display screens do not suffer so much from this problem so screen savers are mostly an adornment. Screen savers were never intended to save energy. However, certain darker screen savers can save energy compared to brighter screen savers and include: 3D Flower Box, Flying Through Space, 3D Flying Objects, Flying Windows, 3D Text, Mystify Your Mind, Curves and Colors, Scrolling Marquee and Blank Screen. 14. I use a Macintosh. Can I use power management? OS 7.5 (and later) systems have two monitor energy-related control panels. Energy Saver 1.0 places an external ENERGY STAR-compliant monitor into sleep mode. The screen control panel can place an internal monitor into sleep mode. The user should check operating instructions for lists of compatible monitors. 15. I use Windows NT. Can I use power management? Version 4.0 of Windows NT Workstation does not support ENERGY STAR features that can be activated through the Control Panel. In some computer models, ENERGY STAR features can be activated though the computer's set-up initiative, or bios. You should contact computer support staff for assistance if you're not familiar with bios settings. * This FAQ page was modifed from www.energystar.gov/powermanagement, a webpage developed by the Cadmus Group. Enabling Up Power Management: New!!! If you do not want to go through all the Power Management instructions, you can also visit this website. Simply click on the Energy Star icon, download the small program (85 KB) and it will immediately prompt you and install Power Management for your computer screen (your computer screen will then go dark after you don't use your computer for 10, 15 or 20 minutes (you get to choose after how much time, the screen goes dark). If you want to manually set up Power Management, here are instructions for: Windows 98 | Windows ME | Windows 2000 & XP |
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