Cut Your Electricity Bill by Turning PCs Off at Night

If your organization routinely leaves PCs running overnight, it's time to have a talk with your IT manager, CFO, and possibly even the janitor. According to USA Today, U.S. companies waste $2.8 billion annually on power for unused PCs. Yes, billion.

Why do so many businesses leave their machines running through the night? One reason given was the need to deploy software and OS patches during non-work hours.

I suspect that old-school IT types would add that turning systems off and on every day adds to wear and tear, which in turn means more money spent on replacement hardware. (I say that's bull. Maybe it was true in the 80s, but not anymore.)

Ultimately, the solution is to train (and, perhaps, order) employees to shut their systems down at night. Even a small business stands to save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars annually.

And while you're in a power-saving mindset, try these other techniques as well:

• Set systems to hibernate Sleep mode is okay for saving power, but hibernate is even better. Set machines to hibernate after, say, an hour of inactivity -- and then employees won't need to remember to shut them down at night.
• Pull the batteries from laptops that serve desk duty If you leave a laptop plugged in at a desk, it'll draw power even when off. So pull the battery until the laptop is needed for travel. Most systems can run without one as long as there's AC power.
• Set monitors to turn off after X minutes of inactivity This is especially important for organizations still using old, power-sucking CRTs.
• Deploy patches during lunch hours If your organization routinely pushes out patches overnight, try a lunchtime deployment instead. An hour should be more than enough time to complete the installation.