The electricity used while gamers is intensive, with gaming PCs reported to use around 20% of the total energy used by PCs, amounting to billions of pounds a year. By making an effort to save energy on your computer, servers, and electronics, you could enjoy great savings on your energy bill – and do your bit for the environment at the same time.
Who doesn’t enjoy a bit of extra money to play with?
There are some other perks too. By being energy savvy, you can increase the lifespan of your valuable gaming set-up too. Computers that save energy generate less heat, which reduces the chance of problems and costly re-builds and replacements.
Specialist energy consultants, Smarter Business, suggest the following tips for energy saving – so you can enjoy more gaming at a lower price without sacrificing performance.
Source energy efficient products
There is increasingly energy efficient hardware available on the market these days. When
sourcing components for your machine, try to find energy efficient hardware with extra energy-saving features. Get the quickest video card to meet your requirements rather than investing in more than you need – and read reviews on both performance and efficiency online. You can also optimise your home server with disks, drives, and power supply units (80+ is recommended) suited to your needs and which offer both high performance and efficiency.
Use your computer’s power saving features
This may seem obvious, but many gamers slip into habits which burn unnecessary energy. By implementing idle mode for monitors and hard drives, you could use up to 50 times less energy. Adjusting monitor brightness is another no-brainer for easy savings in the long term. If you also use your gaming computer for work and personal purposes, underclock the video card and processors when not gaming.
Adjust your game settings
Some games offer framerate caps – a great power-saving initiative. Check the settings and features of the games you play to see if there is a power-efficient option.
Don’t pay for unnecessary devices
Disconnect your external devices when you don’t need them. These draw power – and this accumulates quickly.
Use a smart strip or turn your computer off when you’re not using it
This is another simple solution, but it is worth being mindful around behaviour. Many gamers tend to leave their computers on for long periods of time when they are out or away from their computer.
Green your gaming environment
There’s no denying it – being environmentally conscious is in. This means there are loads of energy-saving gadgets and tech available to help the average person consume less energy. The first step is to understand what uses the most power and to use this for change. Install LED or power-saving lightbulbs. Minimise unnecessary use of appliances. Invest in new, power-friendly technologies over time. Heating and cooling tend to contribute to the bulk of energy usage. Turn this on only when necessary.
ABOUT SMARTER BUSINESS
Smarter Business offer expert commercial energy procurement, management, and strategic services to SMEs and large corporates alike. To find out how they can save your business money, contact Smarter Business here. https://smarterbusiness.co.uk/
