Practice Green Computing

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Quick Facts Affordability Cost Savings CO2 Reduction		With the rise of computers both at home and at the office, practicing green computing is an important part of reducing your environmental impact. This guide will help you make the right decisions for yourself and the environment before, during, and after the lifetime of your PC.  Affordability There are many ways you can practice green computing – from turning off your computer and peripherals when not in use to buying wisely, taking advantage of power-saving features, using resources efficiently, and responsibly recycling your equipment. Cost savings Power management technologies can deliver energy savings of up to 50% in desktop PCs, 55% in fax machines, 65% in laser printers and 55% in copiers. A desktop PC, turned off for four hours a day, will save about $12 per year. Health & comfort Products using power management features generate up to 25% less heat and tend to be quieter than conventional products. Environmental considerations According to the annual 2007 Green Electronics Council report [PDF, 3.8 Mb], there were numerous environmental benefits from Canadian purchases of high-performance, environmentally-friendly EPEAT registered products. Benefits included a reduction in primary materials, toxic materials, air and water pollutants, and greenhouse gas emissions.

What you need to know

Do you need a new computer?

• Before buying a new computer, consider upgrading the hardware in your current machine. You may only need some extra RAM (memory) or a new hard drive to restore your current system to full efficiency.
• Consider doing a reinstallation of Windows and your software. All the updates, installing and uninstalling of software, and unnecessary applications running in the background, can slow down your machine and seriously impact its performance. This results in more wear and tear on hardware, and increases your electricity consumption.
• When you do replace your current computer system, consider donating it. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, e-waste is now the fastest growing component of the municipal waste stream.
• Consider buying a refurbished computer. Often you can find good quality, only slightly used computer equipment. Most refurbished computers are thoroughly inspected before they are resold. Some even have warranties still attached.

Buying a new computer

• Use a laptop. A typical laptop computer has a maximum power consumption of 15 watts (W) and extensive power management capabilities. A typical desktop PC with display consumes about 10 times that, or 150 W, and has limited power management features. The potential energy savings from substituting PCs with portable laptops are large – up to 90% or more.
• If you must have a desktop, look for energy-efficient processors, low-rated power supplies and passive or intelligent cooling systems. Most ENERGY STAR® labelled models will require these features.
• Purchase flat-screen monitors as they use significantly less energy and are not as hard on the eyes.
• Buy an extended warranty with your new system so there is less likelihood that you will need to junk the computer within the first few years if an expensive repair is needed.
• Think smarter about your peripherals. Buy a combination scanner/printer – you will only have one power supply to feed, not two. Choose the smallest monitor that will meet your needs. When considering your next screen purchase, balance your wants with your actual needs.
• When buying components and peripheral items, try to choose those that come in the least amount of plastic packaging as possible.

Computer power management features

• Read the owner's manual for each piece of equipment you use. Information on power management features is often provided in a chapter dedicated solely for this purpose. It is important to understand what features your equipment offers and how they operate.
• Turn your computer off when not in use. This is the single most important thing you can do to reduce energy consumption. Much of the energy use associated with computers is wasted because PCs are often left on when not in use, including nights, weekends and even extended periods of inactivity during the day. Most experts agree that turning your computer on and off will have no significant effect on its operation or life.
• Turn off your display device or monitor. If you must leave your computer on for network applications or other purposes, it makes sense to turn off monitors. Monitors consume a significant portion of the energy used by PCs. Trends toward larger displays, more colour and higher resolution have increased the amount of energy required to operate monitors. Note that a screen saver does not reduce energy consumption.
• Set up your power saving/management features for periods when your computer is temporarily not in use. In Windows, this can be found in Settings/Control Panel/Power Options. It is recommended that you set your power management to turn off your monitor after 10 minutes and your hard disks after 20 minutes.
• During usage, only have your screen as bright as you need it – unnecessarily bright screens use a lot of energy.
• Plug your computer equipment (computer, monitor, speakers, printer, scanner, etc.) into a power bar or surge protector that can be turned off when you’re not using it to avoid it drawing standby power. Contrary to popular belief, turning equipment on and off does not shorten the life span of computers or related equipment.
• For older monitors without built-in power management systems, install external control devices that can shut a monitor off after a preset delay.

Printers

• Turn printers off when not in use. This tip bears repeating. Printers are typically left on for extended periods of time, but are active only for only a small percentage. This means conventional printers can waste a significant amount of energy.
• Laser printers consume a great deal of energy. It costs less to buy an ink-jet printer and they are clearly the winners in terms of energy savings. Although they generally have lower print quality, recent advances in ink-jet technology have substantially improved print quality and speed. Ink-jet printer speeds are comparable to those of laser printers. However, they are not designed for high volumes and the cost of ink/toner cartridges may mean higher operating costs per page than for laser printers. Colour ink-jet printers, because of the way they operate, are not significantly more efficient than colour laser printers.
• Select a printer with power management capabilities. Printers with automatic "power down" features can reduce electricity use by over 65%. These printers automatically power down from 15 W to 45 W, depending on the number of pages per minute produced, after specified periods of inactivity.

Recycling or donating old computer equipment

• The most important thing you can do is be aware of what equipment can and cannot be recycled. See the Return-it section on acceptable and non-acceptable products for a complete and current list.
• If you choose to donate your equipment to a charity, ask how the charity uses the equipment and whether they will dispose of it responsibly when it is no longer useful.
• Make sure you have backed up your data and erased any personal data from your hard drive prior to donating, selling or recycling your old electronics.

Taking it further

Purchase environmentally friendly computer supplies – inkjet cartridges, laser toner, batteries, optical media (CDs, DVDs), etc. For the most part, these items aren't toxic themselves, but they still contribute to the mountains of waste that end up in landfill every year and employ valuable resources that could be reused.

Reduce paper use. According to the Columbia University Guide to Green Computing, if the paper used each year for personal computing were laid end to end, it would circle the earth more than 800 times. Other helpful tips for smarter printing from this guide include:

• Use both sides of the paper. Print double-sided documents by using a duplex (or double-sided) printer or by re-feeding paper through single-sided printers (click the “manual duplex” option in your Print dialogue box). If using the photocopy machine, make double-sided copies. Set your default printing and copying options to use both sides of the paper.
• Use smaller fonts and margins. Fitting more words on a page is a simple way to reduce the number of pages you print.
• Specify draft quality printing. Conserve toner or ink by using draft quality settings whenever possible. These can be found in the Print Properties or Print Preferences section of the print menu on most systems. Many printers also offer the options of printing multiple, miniature pages together on one sheet.
• Use scrap paper to print draft documents. Keep a box of scrap paper next to your printer. Use it to print draft documents.
• Print select pages only. If you don’t need to print an entire multi-page document, try printing just the single page or range of pages that you need.
• Use  recycled paper with a high post-consumer recycled content. Recycled paper is available at office supply stores and even large retailers that sell printer paper.

For the ultimate in green computing, energy efficiency is only the start. Carbon-free computing is the hot topic. This works on the concept of investing in alternative energy and conservation to offset the energy used by your PC. There are also new technologies being developed that include carbon-free computing, quiet computing and solar-free computing.

FAQ

Does turning my computer on and off stress the components?
No, constant start-ups do not damage computer components. It is more cost-effective to shut the computer down when you are finished using it as doing so will reduce wear on your system.

Does my computer use zero energy if turned off?
No, unless it is unplugged. If you turn off the computer but leave it plugged in, it still uses 2.3 W to maintain local area network connectivity. Likewise, in “hibernate” mode, a computer uses approximately 2.3 W (which may support the argument to simply use this power management feature rather than turning it off). In “sleep” mode, it uses approximately 3.1 W. Monitors, however, use zero energy when turned off.