Energy jerk: leaving computer on 24/7

One of the articles on my nerdy MSNBC.com homepage caught my attention the other morning. (Yes, at work, my homepage is set to a respectable site, as opposed to the smut I enjoy in my free time.) “Are you an energy hogging jerk?” it asked, in big, bold letters. Intrigued,(“Hmm, am I a jerk and don’t even know it…?”) I clicked on it—and read about some interesting, everyday things that we are all probably guilty of—that are big-time energy sucks. Instead of writing a massive, epic, tome of a post right here and reviewing allll of them, I thought it might be interesting to share the items one by one, so that way I can add whatever personal insights I want to, without having to worry about getting too long and wordy. (You know how I like to include my personal anecdotes.)

So, without further ado, sign #1 that you are an Energy Consuming Jerk: leaving your computer on all the time.

Gulp.

At home and work, I am so guilty of this.( As are many of my family members and co-workers—which really doesn’t make my actions any better, and frankly just makes everything worse overall by increasing the amount of energy being wasted.) In the kitchen at my parents house, the computer is on 24/7. In my apartment, my roommates Apple is always on (can’t miss any possible incoming gmail chat IMs!). And maybe worst of all, only because its compounded by multiple people, our computers at work are almost never turned off at the end of the day. Ut oh…

“Let's face it: Booting up a computer eats time off the clock, an annoyance for everyone from deadline-pressed cubicle warriors to retirees eager to logon to the Eons social network. But that's no excuse to leave your computer up and running 24 hours a day – especially when power-saving options are built in to the machine.

Almost all computers come equipped with energy-saving sleep or standby modes, which can be set to automatically kick in when the computer is idle for awhile – say 20 minutes. Usually, a toggle of the mouse or tap on the keyboard is sufficient to snap the computer awake.
After a long nap, some computers will delve into an even-deeper energy-saving hibernation mode. But even then, the computer is still sipping electricity.

Energy experts recommend turning the computer off overnight and longish breaks in the day. Contrary to popular belief, this will not harm the computer's lifespan, noted Rogers energy-efficient jerk, noted John Rogers, a senior energy analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists in Cambridge, Mass.”

Even though simply turning off a computer seems like such a small gesture to make, it oddly will be a significant habit to change. Yesterday afternoon when the clock struck 5pm, I took the time to close out of all my applications, and powered off my computer. At home I turned off my lap-top when I was done uploading some pics. Small gestures for sure, and yet I oddly felt better knowing that it all adds up, and it all helps...