Click

to download or run the EZ_Wizard Program.

When you click on the ENERGY STAR symbol above, you can save the program to your hard drive and then run it, or, if your system allows, you can open and run it directly, providing an opportunity to activate ENERGY STAR on your system.

Computer Energy Usage

Personal computers use more energy than all other desktop and office equipment combined.  Unfortunately, much of this energy is needlessly expended while the computer sits idle, perhaps while you are in a meeting, on the telephone, or at lunch.  Fortunately, we can reduce this waste through the use of ENERGY STAR, which can turn off your monitor, your computer's most consuming component, during idle time.  If you don't use your computer for a certain time, the monitor will turn itself off.  To turn it back on, simply push your mouse or press a key and wait a few seconds.

Using EZ Wizard to Reduce Computer Energy Usage

To easily activate the ENERGY STAR capabilities of your system, run the EZ Wizard by clicking on the ENERGY STAR symbol above.  (You may need to download it first and then run it.)  If you aren't already using ENERGY STAR, the program will ask if you want to activate it.  If you do, it then will ask how long you want your system to sit idle before it goes to sleep; you can choose 10, 15, or 20 minutes.  In some cases, it will ask if you want to be able to see your screen saver before the monitor goes to sleep.  Once you have answered these questions, the program will turn on the ENERGY STAR features that work with your monitor.

Note: If your system uses the Windows NT operating system, EZ Wizard will not be able to activate ENERGY STAR, because NT does not support it.  EZ Wizard will tell you if this is the case.

Resetting to Your Previous ENERGY STAR State

If you activate ENERGY STAR and then want to return the system to its previous settings, simply run EZ Wizard again.  It will ask if you want to change the current settings or reset to the old settings.  If you select reset, the system will be returned to the ENERGY STAR state that was in place prior to running EZ Wizard.

Conclusion

There are millions of computers sitting in offices and homes, all of which use more electricity than nearly any other common electrical device around.  If everyone practiced energy efficient computing, billions of dollars in electricity costs would be saved every year.  To be a partner in this effort, we recommend that you:

• Use ENERGY STAR on your system;
• Turn off your monitor if you will be away from your system for awhile;
• Turn off your computer overnight or when you will be away for long periods.