Home Computing going Green

By  Cathy Margolin, reviews@netwurfernews.com

Want to save money and go green at the same time?  You need to determine what your power usage is. I used a product called Kill-A-Watt  to measure how much energy each item uses.  It is a brick like device, and if your cables are like mine (somewhat like spaghetti), you might want to add an extension cord to be able to see the information on the Kill-A-Watt.  I added a foot extension cord (usually used to add a large “brick-like” plug to your surge suppressor when you only have a normal plug socket available).  This enabled me to see it without lying down on the floor as I plug it into different items.

Have an External Modem as a backup to your cable company(in my case about 2x a month)? Turn it off until you need it

Always have your chargers attached to the power outlet and pulling power?  Get a surge protector, organize them (even put twist ties around  the cords to manage the clutter) and turn the surge protector off when not in use.  There are green surge protectors such as by Belkin which turn off by themselves when not needed/being used.

CRT vs LCD?

Replace your old CRT’s with either a laptop or a LCD screen- as it used quite a bit less power.

Keep your TV and cable box on standby all the time? Maybe put it on a surge protector with a remote turn off.   I turn ours off when we go on vacation also.

If you build a new computer, be careful in selecting power supplies= go green.

Lights

Turn off lights when not in the room. Change to Compact Florescent Lights (CFL) lights if possible.  Add a motion sensor to a light switch (Levitron) , especially  if you have a spouse who cannot remember to turn off lights.  Even use solar LED lights outside t0 light up your yard. In the last year, I have noticed a marked improvement in solar lights and also with the newer CFL bulbs.