Setting Computers to
Energy-Saving Modes
WHAT
Set office computers to energy-saving modes by following five
simple steps to control energy consumption.
WHY
The part of your computer that consumes the most energy is the monitor. By
following these five steps, electricity consumption of the computer can be
significantly reduced.
HOW
A. Don’t use a screen saver—they use twice as much energy as when the
computer is in use.
B. Instead of the screen saver, set your monitor to go into sleep mode after
5 minutes of inactivity, and the hard disk to turn off after 30 minutes of
inactivity.
C. Adjust your monitor’s brightness to be below 50%, as the brightest setting
consumes twice as much power as the dimmest setting.
D. Turn off your computer at night and on weekends (if you require remote
access, sleep mode is an OK alternative).
E. For other appliances, such as copiers and printers, look for similar energysaving settings or modes and enable them.
A. Screen Saver Settings
Step 1
Right-click on your desktop
and select Properties
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Step 2
On the Display Properties
screen navigate to the
Screen Saver tab. On the
drop down box beneath
the words Screen Saver,
select None. Click Apply.
B. Monitor Sleep Settings
Step 1
Right-click on your desktop
and select Properties
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Step 2
On the Display Properties
screen, navigate to the
Screen Saver tab and click on
the Power button.
Step 3
On the Power Schemes tab, click
the drop-down box next to Turn
off monitor, and select After 5
mins. Click the drop-down box
next to Turn off hard disks, and
select After 30 mins.
Click Apply.
Your monitor will now turn off after 5 minutes of inactivity, and your
hard disk will turn off after 30 minutes of inactivity.
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C. Monitor Brightness Settings
Step 1
Right-click on your desktop
and select Properties
Step 2
On the Display Properties
screen, go to the Settings tab
and click on the Advanced
button.
Step 3
The next screen will vary based on
whether your computer has an
ATI or NVIDIA graphics card. If it is
ATI, you will see a tab that says
Color. If NVIDIA, the tab will have
the logo below and the name of
your graphics card. Click this tab.
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Step 3
If prompted, click Start NVIDIA
Control Panel.
On the next screen that appears,
adjust the brightness slider to be
under 50%.
Click OK or Apply.
D. Power Off Computers at Night & On Weekends
If you require access to your files when not in the office, save
them to your G: drive so that they can be accessed remotely.
Instructions on how to remotely access your network drive(s)
through the myAU portal are here. Any time you are working with
AU files remotely, OIT recommends connection to AU’s Virtual
Private Network (VPN). Connecting to the VPN recognizes your
computer as an AU computer, allowing you to connect to AU restricted resources, the Novell servers, all of your standard Novell
network drives, and printers. Instructions for connection to the
VPN for different internet browsers are here.
E. Look for energy-saving settings on other appliances
On office appliances such as printers, faxes, and copiers, look for
energy-saving modes similar to those on the computer. Lowpower, sleep, or energy-conservation modes are often clearly
labeled. When the appliances are not in use, unplug them if you
are able, and turn them off on nights and weekends.
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