Energy week: Green computer use, Part 1
This week's eco-topic: Energy.
So I'm guessing you're in front of your computer, because you're reading this. So am I, as I'm writing this. Hello from my softly glowing screen to yours!
Anyway, considering how much time most of us spend in front of the computer, I'm always curious about new ways to save computing energy. Which is why when support.com, a remote tech support service, e-mailed me about a FREE "Green Computer" service, I got super psyched.
All I have to do, the e-mail said, is call up support.com at 800.PC.SUPPORT to get my computer running a little greener in just 10 minutes.
Now I hate calling companies for free stuff -- mainly because I'm afraid they will try to sell me things I don't want. But call I did. Sean answered, apologized that support.com is getting a "high volume of calls" about the green initiative at the moment (to be fair, I called first thing Monday morning), and asked if he could have a technician call me back in 10 to 15 minutes. Cool, I said, and gave him my number.
A mere seven minutes later, a technician, Kevin, called back, and very politely had me do a bunch more things I don't like to do: Create a new account, download a little program, and let him access my computer remotely. But the guy was super nice and patient, and I'd already started a post about the dealio, so I went along with it.
Luckily, the whole process took maybe two minutes -- after which Kevin had control of my laptop. I waited, watching for the magical greening to begin.
But all Kevin did was go into my power management functions and change my settings -- something I'd already done awhile back to save energy. In fact, he actually increased the time I had set for most of these power-saving functions to kick in. "Turn off monitor" was reset at 10 minutes, "Turn off hard disk" at 15, "System standby" at 30 and "System hibernates" at 45.
Then he booted himself off my computer and asked if I had any questions.
Me: "Um, wouldn't it have been easier just to tell me to change the power-settings?"
Kevin went into a little spiel about how some people can do that, but how for others, having a computer tech person tell them to change power settings is like having a car mechanic tell them over the phone how to fix a car engine.
Which, OK, I get to a degree. My grandpa might never be able to figure out how to change power settings on his own. But then again, he doesn't own a computer.
This is the same reason I haven't downloaded Local Cooling, a free software program that purportedly helps you "fight global warming from your desktop." Local Cooling looks kind of nifty, but everything the program does, you can easily do yourself sans yet another pesky download, simply by adjusting power settings or turning your computer off when not in use, as Lloyd Alter at Treehugger points out.
Which is to say, if you'd like to change your power settings, here are my easy -- and also free -- step-by-step instructions for Windows XP:
- Right click on your desktop and select "Properties" from the pulldown menu.
- From the box that pops up, click on the "Screen saver" tab.
- Click on the "Power" button.
- From the "Power schemes" pulldown menu, select "Home / Office desk" if you have a desktop or "Portable / laptop" if you have a laptop.
- Set the times as noted above or according to your preference.
If you have a Mac, I believe you can do the same by going to Apple Menu->System Preferences-> Energy Saver.
Gramps: If you're reading this, call support.com at 800.PC.SUPPORT. They're nice and patient, they won't try to sell you anything, and they'll give you 15% off if you end up using their services again for other computer issues.
More tips to save energy on your computer are coming soon.
