You’ll need this windows
Any version of Windows from the last decade will have the features used in this article. Utility bills are always on the rise, and we’re all becoming more aware of the power used by our devices in and around the home. Indeed, many utility providers now give away monitors that enable you to see just how much power is being used at any one time. Getting your computer to reduce the amount of juice it’s drawing, while not affecting the way you use it, is not only good news for your fuel bills, it can also reduce your carbon footprint, too.
Thankfully, there’s plenty you can do with your computer to make sure that it’s only using the power it needs to function. In this tutorial, we’re going to take you through the various power profiles within the Windows operating system that enable you to tailor the power requirements of your machine—without having a negative impact on its overall responsiveness. Tweak your power profileWindows boasts three separate power profiles that can help you get more from your home machine. These are defined as Balanced, High Performance, and Power Save. To access these profiles, you need to enter the Power Profile Manager by selecting “Start > Control Panel > Hardware and Sound,” then click the “Power Options” section.
» By default, the Balanced (and most recommended) profile is in place (image J), marrying performance with energy consumption. Power Saver improves your machine’s power consumption by being a little more aggressive with powering down and idling. The High Performance option ignores power saving and allows for the top performance possible from your PC.
» These defaults are good starting points, but if you want real control over your power usage, you’re better off creating your own power profile. Click “Create a power plan” in the left-hand panel, select “Power saver” as your starting point, and name it “Super Power Saver” before clicking “Next.” » On the next screen you can define how long the machine should wait before moving into sleep mode. We recommend setting the “Turn off the display” option to 1 minute, and the “Put the computer to sleep” setting to 5 minutes. When you’re done, click the “Create” button.
» Hibernate is a special power saving mode that turns off the power to your PC almost completely. You can configure your machine so that it uses this mode instead of going to sleep for better power-saving results. Select “Choose what the power buttons do” and set the “When I press the sleep button” action to “Hibernate” (image k). advanced opTionsNow to pull out all the stops.
Click “Change plan settings” to the right of your Super Power Saver profile and then select the “Change Advanced power settings” option at the bottom of the screen.
Expand the “Hard disk” entry and set the drive to turn off after 10 minutes or so. Next, expand the “Sleep” option, delete the number of minutes in the “Sleep after” option, and set “Hibernate after” to 5 minutes (image l). Click the OK button.
» If you’re using a laptop, you can define what happens when you close the lid, too. Click “What happens when I close the lid” to the left of the window. You’ll find two options here, battery or plugged into a power socket. Click the “On battery” option and set it to “Hibernate,” and leave “Plugged in on sleep” enabled.