Turn Your Computer Off at Night

The energy savings can really add up.

Eco tip for turning off your computer at night.

Photo: Istock

By Brian Clark Howard

When you are done scouring Web pages and documents for business and pleasure, turn off your workstation. It will save energy and wear and tear on your hardware.

In one year, if you shut your machine off before bed each night, you’ll save an average of $90 worth of electricity. The Department of Energy recommends shutting off your monitor if you aren't going to use it for more than 20 minutes, and the whole system if you're not going to use it for more than two hours. The agency says time spent off extends your machine’s life.

Although computers don’t complain (yet) about all the work we make them do, why not give yours a break? Just don’t turn off a Web server, unless you want to hide from a bunch of angry nerds.

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