Save Energy - Prevent Global Warming by changing your computer (and website) colours
| White and bright colors (especially in backgrounds) can use up to 20% more power than black or dark colors. Look to the right to see the power usage (in Watts) of a sample monitor with different screen backgrounds. Unfortunately, e-mail and word processors tend to use white backgrounds, so your workstation uses considerable power while you are in these programs, which you are during much of the day. Because black-on-white is the most familiar (it’s just like the newspaper), selecting alternate combinations may not be appealing. However, you can change your desktop background to something efficient. You can change your background by selecting Start, Settings, Control Panel, Display, and Appearance tab. The “Item” field should say “Desktop”. Under color, select one of the colors at the right that has a rating below 65W and then click OK. |
| White - 74W |
| Fuchsia - 69W |
| Yellow - 69W |
| Aqua - 68W |
| Silver - 67W |
| Blue - 65W |
| Red - 65W |
| Lime - 63W |
| Gray - 62W |
| Olive - 61W |
| Purple - 61W |
| Teal - 61W |
| Green - 60W |
| Maroon - 60W |
| Navy - 60W |
| Black - 59W |
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Screen savers originally were not meant to provide energy reductions, but they now provide a means for energy savings. The use of dark screen savers can mitigate bright backgrounds, reducing monitor power up to 20%. Screen recovery occurs within 1 second by hitting a key or moving the mouse. Nearly all of the standard Microsoft screen savers are efficient. If you supply your own, please try to use one that uses primarily dark colors.
To set your screen saver, select Start, Settings, Control Panel, Display, and Screen Saver tab. Under name, select a screen saver that uses mostly black and set the Wait time to 5 minutes (or less). The following Microsoft screen savers are energy efficient:
- 3D Flower Box
- 3D Flying Objects
- 3D Text
- Curves and Colors
- Flying Through Space
- Flying Windows
- Mystify Your Mind
- Scrolling Marquee
Note that the 3D Text and Scrolling Marquee allow you to display a personalized message on the screen saver; click on “Settings” after selecting the screen saver.
The following Microsoft screen savers are NOT energy efficient:
- Channel Screen Saver
- Travel
The following Microsoft screen savers also are likely to be inefficient, if only because they use the current display as their foundation. Because many common applications use white backgrounds, the screen will remain bright when the screen saver is active if the user is in any of those applications or uses bright colors in general. These screen savers include:
- Science
- The 60’s USA
- Windows 98
Also note that some screen savers, such as 3D Maze, allow the user to select the background, which cannot be controlled and may result in an inefficient configuration.
Energy Star is an important and automated means for realizing significant power savings. A Standby setting (available only in Windows 95) can drop power over 90 percent from maximum. Screen recovery occurs within 1-4 seconds by hitting a key or pushing a mouse. The Suspend setting can drop power nearly completely, although screen recovery can take up to 10 seconds. Energy Star is not supported by all computers or all operating systems. To activate Energy Star, perform these steps:
- Windows 95 - Select Start, Settings, Control Panel, and Display. (You also can right-click on your desktop and select Properties.) Select the Screen Saver tab. Choose a predominantly black screen saver and set it to wait 5 minutes. Click the Low-Power Standby box and set for 10 minutes. Click the Shut Off Monitor box and set for 20 minutes. Click Ok or Apply.
- Windows 98/ME/2000 - Select Start, Settings, Control Panel, and Display. (You also can right-click on your desktop and select Properties.) Select the Screen Saver tab. Choose a predominantly black screen saver and set it to wait 5 minutes. Click on “Settings” to reach the power management settings. Click the Shut Off Monitor box and set for 10 minutes. We recommend that you do not change any other settings that apply to the computer. Click Ok or Apply. (Note that these versions of Windows support only one power-down level, the Suspend state.)
- Windows NT does not support Energy Star, so you cannot activate the low-power settings through the Control Panel. You still can select a dark desktop background and screen saver. Energy Star still can be activated through the computer’s set-up program, which varies among computer models. Contact your computer support staff if you need assistance.
- Macintosh - Pending.
Note that different computers, operating systems, and monitors may produce different options. However, you should be able to create balanced settings that deliver energy savings. For more detailed implementation information and procedures for additional configurations, click here for instructions provided by the New South Wales Sustainable Energy Development Authority.
Of course, the ultimate energy saver is to power off your monitor, which will produce complete and immediate savings. Although screen savers and Energy Star produce automatic reductions, it takes time for the lowest level to be reached. If you go to a half-hour meeting, there will be no savings for the first five minutes, 20% savings for the next five minutes, 90% savings for the next ten minutes, and 95% savings for the last ten minutes. Energy Star saves 65% of the monitor’s power during the half hour. Powering off saves 100%. So if you know you will be away from your desk for a period, turn off your monitor. When you come back, turn it on again (and remember that it’s asleep, so push your mouse!), and it will wake up in 10 seconds. And this doesn’t apply just to your monitor. Turn off your lights. At night, turn off your printer, fax machine, coffee maker, or copier. Every minute that a machine is off saves energy. (Note that some components, such as your printer, can use a lot of power when they are turned on, so only turn off these machines for extended periods. Your printer should be powered off only if it will be idle for more than an hour.)
