6 secrets to saving power

Saving staggeringly high amounts of energy is now as simple as unplugging your computer.
Back when electricity costs were relatively low, easy eco-friendly initiatives like unplugging weren’t as high a priority. Yet recent surveys have revealed that around two-thirds of businesses are now paying more attention to energy efficiency than they were just a year ago. Some companies are motivated to act by rising energy prices; others have a genuine commitment to lowering their carbon footprint.
Read on to find six easy ways to save a huge amount of energy at work – and at home, too. You’ll reduce your electric bill, and also help the environment.
1. Simply unplug your appliances
It is a common misconception that hardware uses no power when not switched on. Many appliances continue to draw a small amount of power when they are switched off – and that little bit can really add up. Studies have revealed that a shocking 75 percent of electricity is used by hardware that is turned off.
Have you ever noticed that your mobile phone or iPAQ charger is hot to touch even when it is not in use? This is because it draws energy the entire time the device is plugged in.
To avoid this costly power drain, simply unplug devices from the wall every time you finish using them. This might initially be a difficult habit to get into, but soon it will be second nature and you’ll notice a fantastic difference in your electricity bills.
2. Switch to power-saving settings
You don’t have to be an IT expert to improve your PC’s energy efficiency. With any desktop PC or notebook PC running Microsoft® Windows® you can quickly reset its energy-saving settings.
Just go to "Start" and click on "Control Panel", then select the "Power Options" menu. Here you can reduce the power you use by changing your energy-saving settings from "idle" to "standby". This means every time you take a break and leave your PC running, you use 20 to 50 times less electricity.
To save even more electricity, reduce the time delay before your PC switches to a power-saving mode. See your "Power Options" menu to make this quick change.
3. Turn-off your screen saver
Another efficiency tip is turning off your screen saver. Studies have revealed that monitors using a screen saver eat up much more energy than those in standby mode.
4. Backup during the day
Even more power can be spared if you schedule your computer’s data backup during your workday – for example, during your lunch break. Doing this means that you won’t have to leave your computer on overnight, and you have an excuse to take a proper break during the day.
5. Buy energy-efficient products
These days ENERGY STAR® qualified office equipment is easy to find and affordable to buy. It provides you with dramatic power savings, as much as 90 percent for certain products.
HP designs its wide range of ENERGY STAR® qualified office equipment to provide highest performance with lower energy usage. For example, new server and workstation systems are designed to maintain power efficiency while meeting the needs of high-throughput, data-intensive applications.
6. Complete the conservation cycle
Whether you work with a large enterprise, a small- to medium-sized business, or have a home office, when you are finished with your hardware or printing supplies, remember to recycle them. Check out HP’s trade-in, donate and recycling options for your used computer or printing hardware, batteries and HP printing supplies.
And don’t forget, once you have disposed of your old equipment, you can purchase new energy-efficient solutions.