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How green is your computer?

Published: April 3rd, 2008

Consider this statement: “The EPA’s Energy Star efficiency criteria only consider the energy a PC uses while it’s in standby mode, which means that almost all current PCs qualify as Energy Star compliant.”

Is that statement true or false?

What about this: “Constantly shutting down and restarting your computer during the day would consume more energy than just leaving it running.”

Is that true or false?

If you are a bit unsure you might want to check out the Sierra Club’s “How Green is My PC” quiz. The quiz will ask and tell you about ten different questions related to your computers energy usage, environmental impacts etc.

Thanks to Tedd Riggs for the link.

Simon Leufstedt

Simon Leufstedt is the founder and editor of Green Blog – an environment blog with authors from around the world. He is also the admin of Enviro Space - a place to meet, discuss and interact with other people who share your interests and ideas.

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Steve Barker

Q5.

"More than 80 percent of the lifetime energy consumption of a PC occurs before you buy it.
Your Answer: True
10 out of 10 points.

True. Not only does manufacturing a PC use a lot of energy, it also usually requires ten times the PC's weight in fossil fuels and chemicals, most of which are toxic. So, even though you might be tempted to get a new PC every three years (as the average person does), the longer you can keep your current PC in service, the better for the environment."

Further proof that Linux is greener. It is good to keep equipment going/functioning. See:

http://green-pc.blogspot.com/2007/12/linux-is-g...

Karen

Some great things to think about. I am never quite sure whether to leave my laptop running or not...I usually let it "hibernate" or stand by - thoughts on this?

Simon

Karen: Here is a short explanation of the difference between “hibernate” and "stand by":

Standby mode is used to conserve energy. When the computer is placed in this mode it switches to a low-power state. All files and applications that you had open remain open but certain devices, including the monitor and hard disks, turn off. Everything that is in the computer’s memory stays there. It is not saved to the hard drive.

Hibernate mode takes everything in your computer’s memory and writes it to a file on the hard drive. The computer is then almost shut down completely. You will notice that it takes longer for your computer to go into and come out of hibernate mode than stand-by. Ideally, if you do not want to shut down your computer, hibernate mode is the better choice when you will be away from your computer for extended periods of time than standby mode.

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