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2: The Basics of Green IT 29

■ Turn off your computer and peripherals when they are not in use.
■ Don’t run computers continuously unless they are in use continuously.
■ Always turn off your computer at night and on weekends.
■ Look for ways to reduce the amount of time your computer is on without
adversely affecting your productivity.

Turning your equipment on and off will not harm it.

You Can Turn Off Your Computer!
The common misconception that a computer’s life is shortened by
turning it on and off has led some to leave their computers on all the
time. Others are reluctant to switch their computers on and off a couple
times during their workday, despite using this equipment for only a
fraction of that time. Desktop computers are designed to protect the
internal circuitry from power damage through on and off switching.
Turning PC equipment off at night or on and off a few times a day will
not appreciably affect its useful life. Electronic equipment life is a func-
ptg
tion of operating hours and heat; both these factors are reduced when
equipment is switched off. Modern hard drives are designed and tested
to operate reliably for thousands of on and off cycles.
Thus, you can turn off your computer (and monitor and printer)! The
inconvenience of waiting a minute or two for a computer to reboot or a
peripheral to come online might be trivial compared to the energy sav-
ings achieved by keeping computer equipment off when it’s not in use.

Some Specific Suggestions
Unless you require immediate access to e-mail or other Internet serv-
ices, break the habit of turning on all your computer equipment as soon
as you enter the office each day. If practical, informally group your com-
puter activities and try to do them once or twice a day, leaving the com-
puter off at other times.

■ Avoid using the switch on a power strip to turn on all your equipment.
■ If you use a laser printer, don’t turn on your printer until you are ready to
print.