Green revolution, a path to conserve resources effectively, requires not only switching over to the humble “reuse and recycling” theme but also to efficiently manage one’s power consumption which is scare. One step in this technologically advanced era is optimizing the energy consumption by one’s PC, desktops or laptops. Some simple things to keep in mind that include switching off the systems when not in use, keeping the monitor off when the computer is ideal, turning on the “power-save” mode, using LCD monitors that cut down upto 50% on power consumption, switching over to “energy star” labeled systems, although make a lot of difference to the way we use our systems, the influx of many software that enhance the performance and minimize the energy/power consumption have made one’s life even more simpler and green automatically without requiring much supervision on one’s part.
Although it is yet to be evaluated as to whether these software do actually save on the precious resources, yet, they are finding great reviews and usage across the world. Some of the most preferred software that have successfully forayed into the field and have been appreciated globally include:
1. Granola
A freeware for personal use, this software cuts on the high electricity bills by saving on the power consumed by laptops, desktops and x86 servers. The software is stand-alone and thus does not require any additional hardware or peripherals. The software intelligently analyzes the energy consumption and optimizes it when the system is not in use or minimally in use without telling on the efficiency or the speed of the system. Not only this, it also reduces the carbon emission of the system and generates report on the energy saved statistics.
2. CO2 Saver 1.0.0.15
Another freeware, this software calculates energy consumption on the system and turns the system automatically to “power save” mode to optimize the power consumed during idle time. When its networked, this software generates a complete data on the carbon dioxide emission and power consumption of all the systems on the network. Being user friendly this software starts to operate as soon as it is installed and does not require any user intervention.
3. Auto Power on and Shut down 2.20
An interesting software that helps one schedule power on, hibernation, standby modes together with shutting the system down when idle for a specified duration of time. Once the preferences are set up by the user the software runs on its own until new settings are incorporated. Additional options can be enabled from the user friendly menu options.
4. Aerofoil
A freeware tailor made for home users of window 7 and vista, this is an intelligent software that manages energy consumption of the system and specifically enhances the battery life of the notebooks. Once the preferences are set up by the user the software automatically shuts down process that may consume more power. The software also shuts down certain programs when the system is in hibernation or idle mode. Once the computer is resumed the programs are turned on automatically changing color from the “red” inactive mode to “green” active mode.
5. BatteryCare
Another freeware that helps a user with limited technical knowledge to save on the power consumption while taking care of the battery, this software usually meant for laptops automatically monitors the battery cycles and enhances the performance of the battery thus affecting a long battery life as compared to systems that do not have the software installed.
Other popular software that enhance the efficiency of the system and cut down power consumption include Auto Shutdown Genius, TweakVista and Edison to name a few. Besides the above software, a little knowledge about systems while buying one’s PC would go a long way in saving on energy that is consumed by the system.
Choosing a processor that is low on thermal design power consumes less energy, a motherboard with an integrated graphics card although will cut on the features but will be more energy efficient, a solid state drive instead of the standard IDE hard drive and upgrading to TFTs can considerably cut on energy consumed by the system hardware.