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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • Save a buck: Free museum day 9/9/08 • Save a buck: Free concert at Alderwood Mall 9/1/08 • Save a buck: Web sites help find best prices 8/31/08 • Save a buck: Web site helps compute total on car rentals 8/30/08 • Save a Buck: Planning to drive? Try these ideas to save fuel 8/29/08 • Save a buck: Get free coffee recipes 8/28/08 • Save a buck: Make your own candied ginger 8/27/08 • Save a buck: Get rid of old refrigerator 8/26/08 • Save a buck: Free movies 8/25/08 • Save A Buck: Snohomish Picnic in the Park 8/23/08 • Save a buck: Old Time Fiddlers 8/21/08 • Learn some secrets of secondhand shopping from an expert 8/21/08 • Save a buck: Free car washes 8/20/08 • Save a buck: Reuse old jeans 8/19/08 • Save a buck: Free health fair 8/19/08   CONTACT THE HERALD Melanie Munk, Features Editor munk@heraldnet.com   Published: Sunday, August 17, 2008 Save a buck: Switch off the computer Does not compute: It's easy to remember to turn off a light when it's not in use, but how often do you switch off your computer when you're not surfing the Web or reading e-mail? Computers, especially older computers, can run at up to 250 watts. Would you leave two 100-watt bulbs burning most of the day? Sleep it off: You can significantly cut that to 1 to 6 watts by going to your computer's system preferences and setting your computer to "sleep" when it goes unused for 5 or 10 minutes. Climatesaverscomputing.org says you can save up to $60 a year by using your power management settings. Using a screen saver doesn't count. When a screen saver is running, so is the computer. The surge is working: Better yet, buy a surge protector power strip, plug in your computer, printer and other peripherals and turn them all off with the flick of a switch (Although you'll want to shut down your computer before hitting the strip's switch.) Even when turned off, computers and printers still draw a small amount of current, which can add up over time. Old nerds' tale: Oh, and you're not saving wear and tear on your computer by leaving it on. That misconception is as outdated as MS-DOS. Herald staff

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