No Cost

• Do not leave equipment in sleep mode overnight because it will continue to draw a small amount of power. Turn off all equipment every night — especially monitors and printers. Monitors usually consume twice the electricity as CPUs.
• Install free software from the Environmental Protection Agency that puts monitors in sleep mode when not in use. This can save $0.085/kWh of power used by networks.
• To turn off computer scanners, printers and other devices that are plugged into a power strip, simply switch off the power strip after shutting down your computer.

Good Investment

• Choose electronic products and appliances without a built-in clock or timer. The displays only consume about a half watt, but the power supply in the appliance is converting 120 volts of alternating current to low-voltage direct current for the clock or timer. This is very inefficient and consumes 20 to 100 watts/hour per day. This is enough to run a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) continuously for 10 hours.
• Save energy and space with an ENERGY STAR qualified multi-function device that combines several capabilities (print, fax, copy, scan). Make sure power management features are enabled for additional savings.
• Use laptop computers. Laptops use up to 90% less energy than a desktop computer.