Mar 27 2008
The Climate Savers Computing Initiative invites computer users to "click on, then click off" during the World Wildlife Fund's Earth Hour event on Sat., March 29.
During Earth Hour, participants in cities around the world will turn off their lights for one hour between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. local time. Individuals can sign up to participate and make a commitment to reducing energy consumption in the year ahead at EarthHour.org. During Earth Hour, the Climate Savers Computing Initiative is encouraging individuals to "click on" computer power management features, then "click off" (power down) their computers for the remainder of the hour.
Power management features can automatically place monitors, hard drives and computers into a low-power "sleep" mode after a period of inactivity to reduce wasted energy and lower energy costs. A simple touch of the mouse or keyboard "wakes" the computer, hard drive and monitor in seconds. Using computer power management can save more than 600 KWh of electricity per year – more than lowering your home thermostat by two degrees Fahrenheit in the winter or replacing six standard light bulbs with compact fluorescents.1
Virtually all PCs in use today support power management, but a study conducted by Harris Interactive® on behalf of Climate Savers Computing among U.S. adults 18+ who use a computer at home and/or at work found that only 74 percent of those surveyed were aware of computer power management.2 Another survey found that 40 percent incorrectly identified what power management is or said they don't know.3 Computer power management is simple to activate and can save nearly half a ton of CO2 and more than $60 a year in energy costs.4
For instructions on how to turn on power management, visit www.climatesaverscomputing.org/tools/pwr_mgmt.html.