How to Save Power While Working on a Laptop

Even though laptop batteries are becoming larger and more efficient each year, they still never seem to last quite as long as you'd like. Many laptop users purchase extra batteries to extend their wireless work sessions, but these are often expensive and heavy. Fortunately, there are a number of free ways you can save power while working on your laptop and prolong its battery life.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Save multimedia tasks for when your notebook's plugged in. Watching movies, playing games and listening to music are all heavy power consumers that drain your battery quickly.
2. Lower the brightness setting of your laptop's display. Unless you're in an especially bright environment like an office with overhead lighting, you can get by with the lower settings.
3. Put your computer into a hibernation or standby state when you're not using it. These states drastically save the amount of power your laptop uses and they're easier for it to come out of than a complete shut down.
4. Set your screen saver to display a blank screen. Crazy graphics and slideshows are fun, but they'll use more power than the black background.
5. Change your laptop's power schemes to alter how it responds to different situations. You can do this on a Windows laptop by clicking on the battery icon in the system tray and selecting a different scheme.
6. Turn off your wireless card when you don't need Internet access.
7. Add memory to your notebook. Systems with lower amounts of physical memory create virtual space on the hard drive to store information, which takes a lot of power.

Who Can Help:

• Find Computer, Electrical and Telephone Services Here. Compare Up to 4 Quotes, Free Service & No Obligation.
• Find Electrical Services Here. Compare Up to 4 Quotes, Free Service & No Obligation.