February, 2008
"GOING GREEN WITH YOUR COMPUTER"
The cost of energy is soaring. Gasoline, electricity, heating oil, and natural gas prices are increasing dramatically for every home and business. Only the island state of Hawaii, 3,000 miles from the mainland US, pays more for electricity than our own "land of steady habits" state of CT.
This month, our "Tech Tips" looks at:
- How to decrease electricity costs Your Computers (some of your steady habits might be more expensive than you thought!)
- How to dispose of computers properly
- How to "Buy Right" on future computer purchases
Our tips this month are "green" in terms of saving energy, eliminating toxic ewaste from our environment, and making smart "green" choices in the future.
But they are also very practical and will save you some of a different type of "green", keeping more of your valuable US Dollars in your pocket!
Please think both types of "Green" :)
Avi & Tahl
Avi Smith-Rapaport, Tahl Smith-Rapaport, and the entire team at:
We Care Computers, LLC
860-836-4191 or info@wecarecomputers.com
USE LESS ENERGY, SAVE MORE MONEY!
You probably wouldn't leave 3 - 100 watt light bulbs burning on your desk. But that's what some desktop computer/monitors use. Here are six quick energy saving tips:
1. Turn Off Your Computer (or put it to Sleep) When You're Not Using It!
Frequently turning your computer on/off will NOT hurt your computer or monitor. Windows PCs actually benefit from being turned on/off. It helps reset the system and gets rid of useless accumulated memory which slows down your computer over time. Very early computers (15 plus years ago) might have been damaged by frequent on/off cycles. It's an Urban myth with today’s computers. Turn off peripheral devices as well.
2. Even more importantly, Turn Off Your Computer At Work.
While people may turn off their computers at home, many folks leave their computers on at work. Turn them OFF when you leave work. Whether it’s your electric bill or your employer’s, it’s still wasted energy.
3. Put Your Computer To Sleep!
If you want to save energy, but realistically don't want to start/stop your computer before/after lunch hour, meetings, etc., CHANGE your Energy Savings settings on your computer and monitor to put it into “sleep” or "hibernate" mode when you won’t be working on it. It’s not as effective as being completely turned off, but pretty close. In sleep mode, YOU SAVE 97-98 percent of the power you would use if the computer is on.
In Windows XP go to Start > Control Panel > Power Options. Set monitor for 5 minutes, hard discs for 10 min., System Standby for whatever is appropriate (we use 30 minutes).
On a Mac go to System Preferences > Energy Saver.
4. GET RID OF ANY SCREENSAVER!
Screensavers are soooo... out of date. Some might be cute, but Screensavers, despite their name, actually save NO energy at all. A computer with a screensaver on uses just as much electricity as if your were using it at full power. Much better to let your computer go into “sleep” or standby mode. Another urban myth is that your computer monitor will get "burn spots" if you leave it on the same screen. Not if you put the monitor to sleep!
5. Switch to a Laptop.
Laptops use a fraction of the power (about ¼ to 1/3) of the power of a desktop. As we talked about last month, you can also hook your laptop up to a large LCD monitor and regular size keyboard and still have dramatic energy savings over a traditional desktop.
We Care Computers offers this service, and further reading at: http://www.wecarecomputers.com/newsletter/newsletter2008-01-28.html
6. LCD Monitors are much better than old CRT monitors.
LCD Monitors use less than ½ the energy of a CRT monitor. Please dispose of your old CRT properly (recycle). We Care Computers recycles all old computer components, and we will “drive away” with your old computer components whenever we install new equipment. Pick up service is also available at a nominal fee.
"DISPOSE OF ALL COMPUTER AND ELECTRONIC JUNK PROPERLY"
It is estimated there are 500 million “junk” computers just in the US alone. This equipment contains lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic, and toxic fire retardants in the plastic, to name just a few. They are toxic in landfills, so don’t just toss your computer or monitor in the trash, even if your town allows it.
But this same equipment also contains aluminum, copper, titanium, and gold, all of which may be recycled.
Old computer and electronic components (including cell phones, iPods, anything containing circuit boards, and printer cartridges) are now referred to as "ewaste". All of these components should be disposed of properly, and recycled using safe practices. However, it is estimated that only 10% of all computer and ewaste products are handled properly. Many are shipped to overseas “dumps” and cheap labor is used to scrap the equipment. High rates of cancer, injuries to the workers, and very toxic to the environment.
What should you do with old computer and electronics equipment?
Companies such as We Care Computers follow “green practices” for disposing of all ewaste, and offer to cart away your old computer equipment when installing new equipment. Or provide a pick-up service for a nominal fee.
Companies like Dell (most aggressive), HP, and Apple also have “Take Back” programs. Dell will even pay for your shipping when you send a computer back to them. Staples has a great program recycling print cartridges (they pay you $ 2 for your old ones), and only charges $ 10 to dispose of a monitor or desktop.
Please consider whether a company has a “take back” program when buying your next computer, AND disposes of the outdated equipment correctly.
This is a significant step forward for the environment, and one that everyone can take advantage of.
Check out your cellar and attic. How much electronic junk is down there? Please get rid of it properly!
"BUY RIGHT IN THE FUTURE" 
Computers, monitors, and peripheral computer equipment now come with Energy Star ratings, just as appliances do.
Please check the ratings carefully (or give us a call) when you're thinking of getting new equipment.
Plus, please buy from responsible companies, as mentioned above. And let your voice (and purchasing power) be known when you shop. Ask for the best rated energy products, and make prudent purchasing decisions based on the answers.
You don't necessarily have to buy the most extreme energy saving device in any category (the purchase price goes up significantly at the very high end of energy savings), but keep your purchases toward "more efficient" rather than "normal".
For most people, you will waste more energy using any computer improperly in a couple of months (not turning it off, not putting it in sleep mode, etc.) than you could possibly save when purchasing it.
It's a Three Step Process:
1. Conserve energy and save money by using the equipment properly.
2. Dispose of all ewaste properly.
3. Buy Right with future electronics purposes.
Thanks for your help! We Care Computers appreciates your effort!
WCC SPECIAL FOR FEBRUARY, 2008
FREE PC OR MONITOR PICKUP WITH ANY SERVICE CALL!
Whenever we install new equipment for a customer, we also take the old equipment back and recycle it properly. For service customers, we normally charge a fee for this service.
In keeping with this months newsletter "green" theme, we will also extend this FREE offer to any SERVICE ONLY customer starting now through March 25th.
So if you need some repair or service work done, or want us to install new programs on your system, we'll be happy to cart off some of the ewaste in your home or office.
Please call or email to set it up!
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great."
Mark Twain |
