If you're reading this right now, you're using a computer, and, if you're anything like me, sometimes your computer gets left on. So, what does it cost to leave it running while you run to the grocery store or chat with your sister on the phone? Jeff Atwood, who writes the blog Coding Horror, posted a piece crunching some numbers for computer energy use -- between his server & home theater PC, he has at least two on, all the time. He figures that his server costs about $16 per month, which doesn't sound like a huge number, but that adds up to $200 each year -- yikes! So, how do you keep it down? A couple quick 'n easy things will make a big difference: configure your hard drive (and monitor) to sleep after a few minutes of inactivity, upgrade to a more efficient power supply, and perhaps the biggest one, unplug it (or put it on a power strip and pull the plug on that) when it isn't in use. Phantom power (or vampire power) can add ten or twenty percent to your electricity use, just for sitting there! Read the full article for more details, and don't let your PC run up your energy bill. [Coding Horror] via [Digg]
