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Turn your computer off if it won�t be used in the next hour. Don�t turn your computer off and on frequently in one day as this uses more power. Turn your AC/heat off as you leave your house for the day. Leave your heat/AC on low as you leave the house for the day as turning it on full blast when you return home uses more energy.Do you receive conflicting advice on how to save energy, which appliances to turn off or leave on? Below are some energy myths and tips that may help you to save energy and time especially during these cold winter days and nights. Leaving lights, computers and other electronic equipment on uses less energy than turning them on and off. In many cases, the small surge of power to start a device is much less than the power that is wasted by leaving it on when not in use. So when you leave a room or office for an extended period of time, turning the lights off will help save energy and money. Turning computers on and off causes damage. Many people believe that turning off computers during the day and night causes damage. It�s thought the change in temperature from turning equipment on and off harms the circuitry. Modern computers and electronic equipment is specially designed to decrease these effects. The reduced running time from power-saving features can actually increase equipment life expectancy. Heating and cooling (HVAC) systems work harder to reach a comfortable temperature after it is set to a higher or lower temperature. Many people think that it is better to not adjust the thermostat at night or on weekends while the home or facility is not occupied because the HVAC systems work harder or use more energy to re-heat or re-cool the building. But this is not how a thermostat works. The thermostat system reaches a set level or temperature and then shuts off when that level is reached. To save energy, look into purchasing a programmable thermostat. When you turn the switch to off, the appliance is off. Several appliances and other electrical devices in the home and office such as coffee makers, microwaves, toaster ovens and fax machines continue to use power after they have been turned off. Many of these appliances, known as energy vampires, have digital clocks. This use of power is known as standby power or phantom load. The only ways to stop the continual use of power from these devices are to unplug them or use an energy saving smart surge protectors. Screen savers save energy. Screen savers do not save energy. They were designed to prevent images displayed on your computer monitor while it is dormant. This avoids burn-in which is a ghostly image that can appear on a monitor after it has been displayed on screen for an extended period of time. It takes as much energy to display a screen saver as any other image on your computer. To save energy, it�s best to turn off the monitor when not in use or change the settings to where the monitor shuts off after specific idle time. (Image provided by the City of Asheville.)
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