I’m often asked if I should turn off my PC when not in use. First of all, turning your PC on and off does not wear it out. Any damage done by doing this will not cause parts to wear out before the PC becomes obsolete. However, it’s important to set up your PC so that it goes to sleep (Standby) or Hibernates after some period of idleness to conserve energy. This period depends on your computing habits. I have my PC set up to go to sleep after 45 minutes of being idle.
It should be pointed out, however, that all PC’s should be cycled off and on periodically to let Windows catch its breath.
Here are some power numbers from my setup tp help you decide.
My setup consists of the following:
- A fairly powerful Windows machine (180 watts)
- Two printers left in the On position (6.5 watts each)
- A cable modem and router (9 watts)
- One USB hub (4.7 watts)
- Two external hard drives that are normally off (9 and 14 watts when turned on)
- A wireless keyboard and mouse
- Two power strips
- Speakers left in the On position (5 watts)
- 22 inch LCD monitor
The entire setup when on – 211 watts
Everything but the PC on – 31 watts
Everything but the PC on plus the PC in Standby – 31.7 watts (Standby power for PC is negligible, less than 1 watt)
Assuming that the PC is on 6 hours a day and in Standby 18 hours, the average power is 76.5 watts.
With the cost per KWH at $.13, this costs $7.16 per month.
If everything were turned off at night, the cost would be reduced by $2.96 per month.
If just the PC would be turned off every night, the savings would be pennies per month.