Turning off your computer at night, is also a no-brainer. When you are done at work, school, or just messing around online, turn off your workstation—the whole thing! A surge protector works best for this.

Turning off your computer will not only prevent wear and tear on your hardware, but will also save energy, which as I’ve said 100 times before translates to saved dollars. According to The United States Department of Energy (USDE), one year of shutting down at night, will save you an average of $90 worth of electricity. That’s a lot of saving, and think of all you could do with $90 . . . go out to a fancy dinner, get a massage, see a concert, etc.

If you’re a real go-getter, the USDE also recommends shutting off your monitor if you aren’t going to use it for more than 20 minutes, and the whole system if you’re not going to use it for more than two hours. The agency says time spent off extends your machine’s life, which also saves money because you won’t need to upgrade your computer as often. Bad for computer stores, good for us.

To learn more about computers that save money and energy click here.

Posted on October 17th, 2007 by Olivia Zaleski