Users don't understand the energy aspect of computers

November 3, 2014 | By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

Computers consume significant amounts of energy even when they are not in use, and computer users don't even realize it, meaning lost opportunities to save energy, according to the results of two studies commissioned by the California Energy Commission (CEC) and conducted by the California Plug Load Research Center.

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Ultimately, the study results were compared to each other, revealing that users don't fully understand how their computers' power management works and that computers are not going into sleep mode or being automatically turned off as often as users think.

"People think when they leave their workstation, the computer will reduce its own energy consumption after a specified amount of time," said Commissioner Andrew McAllister, the CEC's lead on energy-efficiency issues. "These studies show a strong desire and intent by computer users to reduce energy use. Identified user error and knowledge gaps indicate significant room for improvement in the power management options and interfaces available to computer users."

Computers have built-in power management software that enables computers and monitors to consume less energy when they are not being used. Despite this, a whopping 61 percent of office computers are left on all the time, according to the first survey, with only 39 percent of respondents regularly using manual controls to put office desktop computers into sleep, hibernate, or off modes.

The two main reasons reported computers were left on: 1) restarting is too slow and 2) the belief the computer will automatically go into sleep or other lower-power mode. For office desktops, two other main reasons were "need to leave computer on for updates or backups" and "needs to be available for remote access."

But results of the second study suggest that users incorrectly believe automatic power management settings are engaged when they are not. For example, researchers in the monitoring study found a significant difference between direct observation of user's computer settings and their survey responses. In the second study, researchers observed that 20 percent of computers had automatic power management enabled whereas the survey responses indicated that 84 percent of computers had at least one automatic power setting enabled. Further, the monitoring study revealed that workplace desktop computers are on 76 percent of the day, even though they were only being used 16 percent of the day; sleep mode was enabled for about 7 percent of the day.

"The considerable amount of energy that is being consumed by computers that are on, but not in use, shows that with better power management alternatives, a large amount of energy could be saved with improved power management features," McAllister said.

The CEC will use the results of these studies to supplement other research as it develops a draft proposal for computer and monitor energy-efficiency standards.

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http://www.fierceenergy.com/story/users-dont-understand-energy-aspect-computers/2014-11-03