Set your computer to sleep mode and turn the monitor off when you are away from your desk.
Welcome to Week 35 of the 50 Ways to Reduce Your Waste Line. Last week, we asked you to limit disposable and single-use items in refreshment orders, or to try bringing your own food and drinks to meetings. This week, we ask you to turn off your desktop electronics every time you leave your desk for an extended period of time.
One Thing You Can Do
The easiest way to turn off all of your desktop electronics before heading to a meeting, leaving for the day, or packing up to enjoy a beautiful summer weekend, is to plug all of your desktop electronics into a desktop mounted power bar. That way, before you leave, all you have to do is remember to flick the toggle switch on the power bar, and you’ll receive instant energy savings!
Items that you CAN plug into your power bar include your monitor, cell phone/tablet chargers, desktop printers/scanners, etc. It is important that you DO NOT plug desktop computers into your power bar, as the sudden loss of power can corrupt your files and possibly damage your computer.
To save energy when leaving your computer for an extended period of time, simply choose the “Sleep,” “Hibernate” or “Shut down” options from the Start button for Windows-based operating systems, or if you are running a Mac, you can select “Sleep” or “Shut Down” from the main menu. Alternatively, you can change your computer’s power options to have your computer put to sleep automatically after a set amount of time.
Some Facts
Have you ever heard of phantom power? It is the term that electrical utilities use to refer to loads that are drawing power while in standby mode. Examples include such things as microwave clocks, phone chargers that are left plugged in (which still draw current, believe it or not), and computers.
According to Hydro One, phantom power could “account for up to 10 per cent of your home’s energy use. The average Canadian home has 25 or more electronic devices that use phantom power, costing approximately $150 a year in electricity.”
Join a Sheridan Green Team
The 50 Ways to Reduce Your Waste Line is an initiative created and supported by the various Sheridan Campus Green Teams.
Would you like to get involved and help your campus to be more sustainable? You can join a Green Team at your campus location! Below are the campus contacts:
HMC – Jacinda Frazer (jacinda.frazer@sheridancollege.ca)
Davis & Trafalgar – Wai Chu Cheng (waichu.cheng@sheridancollege.ca)
