Search engine visitors - click here to access entire "$ensible Home" web site
Click to back to Main Tips List
People often ask me if they should leave their computer on all day or turn it off each time that they are finished using it for awhile. It definitely saves electricity to turn it off. The computer power supply and the monitor use a lot of electricity. In the summer, this extra electricity ends up as extra heat that your air conditioner must run longer to remove.
There are also other costs to consider. There is additional wear and tear on the solid state components inside your computer each time you turn it on. Starting it is also harsh on the hard drive itself.
Although I have not seen any studies on this, I would suggest that, if your computer is going to be idle for more than one hour, switch off the monitor, but leave the computer running. If it will be ideal for two or more hours, switch the computer off too.