Greening Your Home - Greening your computer ...

I use a computer for several hours every day, so here is my advice to people who really want to use the least power... Buy a Laptop instead of a Desktop. They use much less power. For people who use a desktop, I say TURN OFF your monitor "auto off" feature. While it does save most of the power going to the monitor, it also makes you forget that your computer is on. In the case of my wife, she leaves it on half the time, and if the monitor is black, it makes it harder to know when to turn it off for her.

Also, If you have a power strip, flip the switch to off once you have shut down your computer.

good to know as I am on my computer most of the day and often wonder how I can cut down on my power usage. ;)

Since you only use your alarm clock while sleeping, you can unplug it during the day and then plug it in and re set it each night when you go to bed.
You can also unplug the coffeemaker, microwave, and any other device with a clock. Plug them in only as needed. The flashing time will tell the world that you are green.
Don't forget the TVs and cable or satellite boxes.

If I use a power strip with an ON/OFF switch, does it us ANY power when it is in the OFF position?

No. .

I also use the computer through out the whole day. What I do to save energy aside from turning off the monitor if I am not in front of the computer is that I also make sure that the power for stereo/sounds as well as on printer is off if I am not using them.

Computing has changed the world - a great example is the Internet. It's hard to imagine either not existing.

We can all do our bit in lessening our impact and the following are tips for more earth friendly computing, some of which will also save you cash!

- When not in use for extended periods, switch your computer off at the wall to avoid phantom power load consumption.

- During usage, only have your screen as bright as you need it - unnecessarily bright screens really chew the juice.

- If you're going to use a screen saver, use a blank (black) screen - animated screen savers just consume electricity unnecessarily.

- When buying components and peripheral items, try to choose those that come in the least amount of plastic packaging as possible.

- For your next computer, consider a notebook instead of desktop - these use under 50% the electricity of a desktop machine

- If you can afford it, buy extended warranty with your new system so there's less likelihood of you needing to junk the computer within the first few years if an expensive repair is needed.

- Do you really need a 22 inch screen? When considering your next screen purchase, balance your wants with your actual needs.

- When you do replace your current computer system, donate it rather than bin it if possible. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, e-waste is now the fastest growing aspect of the municipal waste stream. You can find places to donate your computer to on Earth911.org

What about the AVG antivirus I have set for 6am so it will be finished when I get up. If I turn the computer off will my antivirus still be able to do it's job. Or will I have to start it as soon as I turn it on.

No..If you have the PC completely off, it won't run by itself. If you have AVG setup correctly, it will start the scan as soon as you power up in the morning.

Well I am going to have to throw some good karma Mac's way and say change your laptop or pc to mac ;) I really like the eco friendlyness of there latest models I hope other makers go the same way.

and say change your laptop or pc to mac Actually a Mac is a PC. PC simply means personal computer and not a specific operating system (OS) as the Microsoft people mistakenly try to imply in their ads. There are many OSes besides MS Windows that run on X86 PCs and even alternative OSes for Mac hardware.. And of course you won't need an AV software if you run an OS other then MS Windows. Well ok you might want an AV so you don't pass on a virus to your MS using friends but the virus won't hurt you.

The best way I could suggest to go green on a computer is run it off of solar power....start with a small system and then exspand it over time to include other things in the house ,untill you can go fully solar.

I'd say if you REALLY want to be green, stop using AC. Seriously. Central heat and air is the #1 consumer of residential power usage. Humans are perfectly adapted to living in the heat, and billions do so without the benefit of AC everyday.

My grandparents never had AC, even when they could afford to get one installed.

Not that I ever intend to go without AC mind you, I like my AC. :)

Another option would be to buy your own wind generator, granted you'll probably spend on more on it than you would on commercial power, but hey, you could run whatever you wanted and still be 'green'.

The best way I could suggest to go green on a computer is run it off of solar power....start with a small system and then exspand it over time to include other things in the house ,untill you can go fully solar.

How to run the computer off solar power? Care to describe in more details. Thanks..