Microsoft has launched their latest and greatest operating system, Windows 8.  One of the qualities they feature is improved Power Management. The focus of power saving is to extend a laptop’s battery life.

New features include:

• Power Management Framework (PoFx) now supports power management down to the component level
• Device level power management for drivers
• Uniform power management across different hardware platforms

Microsoft has a video to help you understand the new power saving features of Windows 8.

Saving power under Windows 7

Windows 7 has been tuned to lengthen battery life by having fewer background programs running, more efficient DVD playing, automatic screen dimming, and more. They even made the battery life indicator more accurate.

Windows 7 also has more energy saving options for IT administrators. Per Rob Bernard, Microsoft’s chief environmental strategist, Windows 7, for the first time, allows control of power management to a much more precise level. Power efficiency diagnostics can be run to determine power consumption and then be optimized.

Monitor brightness can account for as much as 40 percent of overall system power consumption; with Windows 7, by default, the screen can dim but not go completely black when the system is left idle, saving energy but not frustrating the user with the need to awaken a black screen. Microsoft estimated 70% of business PC users leave their PCs on at night for various reasons. Windows 7 is also a lot smarter at reducing power consumption for expansion ports and peripherals.  Power Efficiency diagnostics have also been added.

To tune Windows 7 powering savings:

1. Click Start, Go to Control Panel, and then select Power Options.
2. Select Power Saver and customize the settings for the length of time you want the system to stay on after you’ve finished using the computer.
3. Go to the Change Advanced power settings and select Hybrid Sleep. Hybrid Sleep ensures you will not lose any documents if you forget to save them.
4. If you have an older hard drive, you can set it to sleep after 15 minutes of inactivity. Newer hard drive have that built in.  USB Selective Suspend sleeps your USB connected devices, try it out, as some devices will not support it. Notebook users can set Maximum Processor State to a lower value to save energy but run slower.  Display controls when your monitor dims, set it to 5 minutes or so.

This technical article helps you navigate the powercfg tool in the Windows 7 command line, to isolate power hogging drivers.

Clearly Windows 7 has many more hooks to help users, IT departments, and hardware companies to save energy.  In the end, all three must work together to achieve meaningful power savings.

Be sure to read: Extend Battery Life, Laptop Battery Life, iPhone Battery Life

A common question from computer users is whether they need to buy a new computer because their present machine is running very slow. In this article we will jump into some tips to hopefully help you save some money and be more green by fixing your computer’s problems.

Upgrade or update your current computer

Before purchasing a new computer, consider upgrading or updating your current computer. Many people experience slowdowns with their current laptop or desktop and figured that it is time to just purchase a new machine. Before spending is money, you should investigate enhancing your current computer.

Fixing a Slow Computer

Has your computer slow down after years of usage? Is time to try a  couple free techniques to liven up your computer’ s performance. Be sure to back up your machine before doing anything.

• Make sure a virus or spyware is not slowing you down. Microsoft Security Essentials is free antivirus software. Malwarebytes is free anti-malware software. Install these programs and scan your machine for malware. Visit our sister site, Safegadget.com for more free security tutorials.
• CCleaner as is free software to remove all the junk that may have accumulated in your system. PC Decrapifier removes useless programs bundled with new machines.
• Uninstall any programs that are not needed. Revo makes an uninstaller program to help you remove programs that will not uninstall correctly.
• Disable unnecessary programs that run at startup with MSCONFIG
• Remove extra browser plugins and toolbars
• Reinstall Windows without losing your data
• Understand your computer’s performance by running a benchmark program. This will help you understand whether you have a problem or need a faster machine.
• If your computer has less than 2 GB of RAM memory, upgrade it to 4 GB of RAM.
• Reduce your system’s default recycle bin size, Internet Explorer’s temp-files storage, and the System Restore storage usage
• If your hard drive is full, consider purchasing an external hard drive to increase your computer storage
• Generally if it costs more than $100 to upgrade your computer, you’re better off recycling your current machine, and purchasing a new one

Switching to a Solid State Drive (SSD)

If you have a computer with at least an Intel Core processor, you might consider upgrading its hard drive to a solid state drive. This type of upgrade can help eliminate the storage bottleneck and save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars over a new computer. We recently upgraded a notebook with a Core 2 Duo processor and found that we essentially gave this notebook a new lease on life. Before the upgrade, it took several minutes to start up. Now the machine boots up in 30 seconds or less.  Upgrading does require opening up the machine and cloning, and swapping drives. This is not that difficult with all the tools that are available like Acronis Disk Imaging software. This upgrade helped improve battery life by approximately 15% and cost less than $100 for an 80GB SSD.

Buying a new computer

Looking for a more energy saving new computer? Check this database first: EPEAT is a system to help purchasers in the public and private sectors evaluate, compare and select desktop computers, notebooks and monitors based on their environmental attributes. They are listed by Bronze, Silver or Gold ratings. EPEAT is run the non profit Green Electronics Council.

Climate Savers also has a database of energy savings computers. This non profit was started by Google and Intel in 2007. Per Climate Savers – “Our goal is to promote development, deployment and adoption of smart technologies that can both improve the efficiency of a computer’s power delivery and reduce the energy consumed when the computer is in an inactive state.”

Erecycle has a list of places where you can recycle your old system.

Sony VAIO EG3 Series Notebook

Sony has a new EG3-series eco friendly and light 5lb, 14 inch notebook that has a chassis made from recycled CDs. The unit’s carrying bag is made of recycled plastic bottles. An electronic user manual in place of the standard 76-page printed manual to save paper.

This netbook is Energy Star 5.0 compliant, meaning that it meets their low power guidelines, helping extend battery life up to a long 7.5 hours. It is also EPEAT Gold registered. EPEAT takes into account energy use, materials use, recycled content in packaging, and end of life management. It is also RoHS compliant, has a Mercury-free LED Backlight, and has PVC-free exterior product casing and packaging.

This notebook is targeted towards families as their second computer. It has a reasonably sized screen and keyboard. The Sony EG3 Series laptop sells for $469.99 from Amazon.

Acer recently introduced a new 15.6 inch Aspire notebook, that is free of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs). It is also Energy Star 5.0 compliant.

Hopefully these types of notebooks will be the new norm and not a one-off product.

You are interested in a new computer or new TV or new electronics gadget. Your old electronics have been recycled. You want to be green, to minimize the impact on our planet, and are recycling your old product. Very few people know how to judge the eco-friendliness of electronics. Hundreds of new products have hit the market with reduced power needs. Here are some criteria to judge new electronics on greenness:

Buy from a Green Company

Greenpeace has a ranking guide to the top 18 manufacturers. You can see which manufacturers are more serious about the environment. Select ones that are higher up the list. Nokia and Sony Ericsson rank well.

Computers and electronics

Energy Star rated products have their logo on them and use less energy. If all computer sold in the US had the Energy Star label we could save $2 billion on energy costs. They have certified everything from TVs, monitors, printers, computers to cordless phones. Desktop/integrated desktop and notebook computers, products must meet stringent TEC requirements for estimated annual energy consumption, power supply efficiency, and phantom power or vampire power.  Lawrence Berkley National Labs estimates that 10% of residential power use is wasted toward this as most homes have 40 products constantly drawing phantom power. Keep in mind that their testing has been called out of date, so you still need to follow techniques to save power.

RoHS logo is the European Directive on the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances
in Electrical and Electronic Equipment, also known as the RoHS Directive. Examples of
materials restricted by RoHS include lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, and
the brominated flame retardants (BFRs) PBB and PBDE. Look for products with this marking.

DigitalTips has an Energy Calculator to show how much powering your electronics costs as well as how to find green electronics.

The ultimate in green electronics would also have the product classified as fair trade. This means that the suppliers to the manufacturer are all responsible and paid a fair wage. It is extremely difficult to trace the hundreds or thousands of items in a typical phone or computer though. More progressive manufacturers are requiring their suppliers to certify that their parts are conflict free.

It is difficult to force factories to pay a reasonable wage and expect products to be priced competitively. Many of the people working in these factories are paid far better than alternatives like farming.

Computers – desktops, notebooks, and monitors

EPEAT is a certification that helps purchasers evaluate, compare and select electronic products based on their environmental attributes. It is based on the IEEE 1680 standard. Any computer that has an EPEAT rating is good. Ones with EPEAT Gold ratings are even better.

Televisions

Cnet has good reviews of flatscreen TVs that include power consumption. Newer LCD TVs will meet California’s low power guidelines. Newer sets draw less power when idle and when operating.  Some Flat Panel TVs have room sensors to turn off when you are not in the room. Optimize your TV with our LCD Flat Panel Power Saving Tips.

TVs made after May 2011 are required to have a EnergyGuide label that shows an estimated annual energy cost as well as cost for similar size TVs.

Cable set top boxes consume a lot of energy. Check with your local cable company to see if they have new energy efficient models that meet the Energy Star 3.0 standard, effective Sept. 1, 2011. A single whole house DVR may remove the need to have DVRs on every TVs

General Guidelines

Economically upgrade your current machine within reason to extend its life first.  Windows XP software tips to speed up and secure your computer.

The product should be made with as many recycled materials as possible. No toxic materials like mercury, brominate, PVC, or arsenic should be use. The product should be easily recycled when the its life has expired.

Electronics should draw as little power as possible especially when in standby mode. Do not assume that your product is completely optimized to save energy. Follow our techniques to save power using special power strips and power measuring tools to ensure phantom or vampire power is not being drawn.

Packaging

Look for minimal amount of packaging. The packaging should be made from recycled materials and should be recyclable with itself. Manuals should be the same.

Examples of Green Electronics

Sony VAIO notebook computer

D-Link wireless router

Amazon Green Electronics Section

Energy-Efficient TVs

Garmin Nuvi with eco-route fuel savings

Energy Efficient Notebook Power Adapter

Antec makes the new SNP90 Energy Efficient, slim, lightweight Notebook Power Adapter that supports a wide variety of notebooks including models from Dell, Toshiba, Acer, HP, Sony and more. It includes 7 detachable connectors for compatibility with nearly every laptop on the market. This power adapter has a minimum high-efficiency rating of 87% at full load, saving you money and energy. It is also energy Star certified.

Targus Spruce EcoSmart Backpack made from recycled bottles

It is great that recycled materials are getting more mainstream. The new Targus Spruce EcoSmart Backpack for 15.6-Inch Widescreen Laptops is a new green backpack is made of polyster fabric made from recycled plastic bottles. It also has no PVC and no nickel hardware. They also make a Spruce Toploading case and a Spruce Messenger Bag.

Ecogear also makes backpacks and other bags from recycled plastic bottles.

act2 GreenSmart Eco friendly Green Bags

act2 GreenSmart Bags are made of 100% post consumer recycled water and soda bottles. It takes between 9 and 20 16oz. bottles to make a yard of the various fabrics. The bottles are collected, sorted, cleaned, ground up twice and then spun into yarn.

Eco Friendly or Green Apple Mac Mini

Apple just announced new faster and greener Mac mini desktops. There are very energy-efficient and compact. They use only 12.4 watts of energy at idle and meet forthcoming Energy Star 5.0 specs before its July 2009 effective date. Mac mini has earned the highest rating of EPEAT Gold based on how much power it uses and how recyclable it is. Mac Mini Enviromental Report

Amazon is a good source for Macs. Tax only in KS, KY, ND, NY and WA and free shipping.

Eco Friendly Green Shredder

GoECOlife has shredders marketed as being eco or green. How could a shredder be green?

• They paid to offset carbon used to create this product
• Energy-Saving Technology prevents phantom power loss
• Meets RoHS standards so it doesn’t use lead, mercury and other heavy metals
• Responsibly packaged using recycled or recyclable materials
• No use of styrofoam or plastic tape.

All great things to have but it would have been far better if they also used recycled material for the unit itself. GoECOlife is definitely thinking green, so if you need a new shredder, this would fit the bill. Always try to buy or find a used one first.

Be sure to read our article:

Extend Battery Life, Laptop Battery Life, iPhone Battery Life