“Green” your equipment when you replace it – go for EnergyStar 4.0 compliant.

When it comes time to replace your equipment, spend a few bucks extra and make sure you get one that uses minimal energy. Do the research and look for equipment that’s EnergyStar 4.0 compliant, as those specifications are very tight on energy use. An EnergyStar 4.0 compliant computer uses about 25% of the energy that a non-EnergyStar machine could potentially use – that’s a huge savings if you’re using the computer over time, one that pays for the few extra dollars you might have to pay right off the bat.

One big point of savings is the move from a CRT to a flat panel. Many homes are slowly making this move, but with the low cost of flat panels and the huge energy savings, the move will save you money over the long run. The average 17″ CRT monitor uses 150 watts while awake and 30 watts while idle, while an IBM T series 17″ flat panel uses 50 watts while awake and 3.5 watts while asleep on average.

Let’s say, then, that on an average day, your monitor is awake five hours and asleep two hours. The flat panel will save you 553 watt-hours during that day. Over the course of a year, that’s 201.84 kilowatt hours, or a savings of $20.18. I calculated my own usage, and on an average day, my monitor is awake for nine hours and asleep for three. That adds up to 357.52 kilowatt hours over the year, or $35.75. Given the low price of smaller flat panel monitors, it doesn’t take long – just a few years – for the energy savings to pay for the switch.