Save electricity while working from home with your computer

Computers and accompanying peripherals (such as webcams for remote online meetings) also contribute significantly to the increase in monthly electricity bills. In fact, a computer (and monitor) can consume as much energy as a refrigerator, which is why it is necessary to consider energy-saving solutions for computers.

Note: Even when returning to work in the office, users should still apply these techniques to save energy for the company as well as the common interest of society.

Use appropriate modes

A typical office computer consumes an average power of about 300W, which means it consumes about 1.095 kWh of electricity (if used for 10 hours per day). In Vietnam, depending on the electricity usage tariff, users will have to pay different amounts for this, but for this example, let’s assume the average rate is about 2,000 VND/kWh. This means the amount we spend on the computer each year is about 2,190,000 VND.

In sleep mode, a computer still consumes a certain amount of energy. Therefore, by turning off the computer and peripherals when they are no longer in use and using energy management measures when the device is on, users can significantly reduce costs for that. If you use the computer for 6 hours per day, you can save 75% or more on energy consumption. Even when the computer is used as a server, users can save electricity by turning off the monitor.

Other devices used for working from home also consume a significant amount of electricity. For example, a laser printer or multifunction fax machine can consume up to 300W when printing, 85W in standby mode, and 10W when idle. Therefore, to reduce the electricity costs for these devices, users should plug them all into one power outlet and disconnect the power to that outlet when turning off the computer, or they can dedicate a separate power outlet for peripherals to turn them off simultaneously in case the computer is still in use.

Experts also recommend using uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) for computers to ensure safety. Disconnect chargers for smartphones, music players, digital cameras, etc., when they are not needed. Power outlets can consume up to 5W per hour, although small, it will affect the electricity bill every month in the long run.

Adjust and choose computers wisely

To implement energy management settings for the computer, users should explore the Power Options feature of Windows to turn off the screen and put the computer to sleep mode if it is not used for a certain period of time.

Depending on the operating system used, the methods of exploitation may vary, with the most common example being with Windows 10, where users can go to the Settings > Power & sleep application. Here, set the time to turn off the screen or switch to a specific sleep mode if the user does not interact with the computer. The scheduled shutdown settings will correspond to the sections under Screen and Sleep.

In the case of planning to install a new system, users should choose modern configurations as hardware companies are constantly improving energy-saving technologies for their products. Users should choose the latest generation RAM, SSD, and especially the most advanced CPU manufacturing technology. Also, do not forget to choose a power supply with appropriate power capacity, and power supplies with high actual power certification, at least White, to ensure good performance (over 80%), avoiding sudden power drops that can damage PC components and consume money. These power supplies may be more expensive than conventional power supplies, but they offer higher safety levels.

Users should also confidently abandon old CRT displays and instead use LCD displays as they consume only about 1/3 of the power for the same screen size. In case of abundance, OLED screens are the optimal choice. In addition, using a laptop if necessary also helps save electricity because laptops only use about 1/4 of the power compared to desktops thanks to advanced mobile technologies.