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Activating power management features on individual computers

You can save energy, save money, and help the environment by activating power management features on your computer. Benefits include:

  1. Cutting the electricity used by your PCs roughly in half, saving $25–75 per PC annually. Estimate your savings using our online calculator Excel.
  2. Enhancing data security by reducing the chance that valuable personal information is displayed on an unattended PC
  3. Saving time by eliminating the daily wait for computers to boot up
  4. Helping the environment. Saving energy reduces air pollution associated with the burning of fossil fuels, and ultimately lowers the risk of global warming.

Computers with power management features activated will still receive software updates such as new antivirus definitions and Windows security patches. For individuals and organizations without centralized IT departments, computer software is generally pre-configured to automatically download and apply updates shortly after resuming from system standby or hibernate.

Activating power management features is easy with EZ Wizard. EZ Wizard is a simple software tool that automatically activates power management features for you. EZ Wizard will help you decide the right power management settings — even if you’re not sure.

Alternatively, you can activate power management features yourself. Simply select your computer's operating system below for detailed and illustrated manual instructions:

PC users who currently leave their computers powered 24/7 for remote access (using software such as GoToMyPC.com) should read this important note.

Microsoft Windows Vista users can find more information about Vista Power Management on the Microsoft Environment Website Exit ENERGY STAR and by reading the TechNet article: Sleep or Hibernate? Exit ENERGY STAR

Purchasing ENERGY STAR qualified computers and monitors can save even more energy and money. New ENERGY STAR efficiency specifications mean that qualified desktops will save roughly $15* in electricity annually, and LCD displays will consume on third less power than an average CRT. ENERGY STAR notebooks save energy, too. Estimate your savings using our online savings calculator Excel.

*Comparing a non-ENERGY STAR computer and an ENERGY STAR qualified computer both without sleep settings activated and turned off at night at a frequency of 36% of the time. (Turn off percentage based upon data in May 2004 Lawrence Berkeley National Labs study entitled "After Hours Power Status of Office Equipment and Energy Use of Miscellaneous Plug Load Equipment.")