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Many people spend their time on their laptops either working, watching a movie, or playing a game. The current pandemic has made the use of these devices seem like a necessity. The biggest question is, how much power does my laptop use? Is there a way I can monitor the power consumption of my laptop?
On average, a desktop would use 50w to 100w when it is being used and about 150w to 300w a day if it is on for 8 hours each day. There are formulas in the market that make calculating the energy consumption of a laptop easy.
In today’s article, I will look at the average energy consumption of a laptop and how to determine it. I will also look at ways in which you can gauge your power consumption. I will also look into the laptop charger and how it affects the power consumption of your PC.
Table of Contents
How Much Power Does a Laptop Use (When Plugged In)?
One of the things I realized was, my laptop uses more energy when it is plugged in and in use than when I leave it on standby. On average, I will use around 50w to 100w whenever I have my laptop connected to the power source.
The amount of energy consumed by my laptop will vary depending on the type of laptop I have and its charger. Bigger laptops tend to consume more energy than smaller ones.
Did you know that a laptop uses less power than a computer? According to studies done, a laptop uses up to 80% less energy than a computer would. It is the main reason many people are switching to laptops nowadays since it costs less energy to run.
One thing that determines the amount of energy a laptop would consume is its design. Some laptops are high-energy consuming and might use up more power than the average desktop computer.
In most cases, however, most laptops have been known to consume less power.
The applications running on your laptop will also determine how much power your laptop consumes. If you have editing software or gaming software on your laptop, chances are you will use more energy.
For this reason, many gamers and editors buy high-energy consuming laptops since they can handle all the work.
The laptop’s CPU power will go to great lengths to determine the power used by many laptops. If a laptop has a higher CPU, it is bound to use more power than if it were using a laptop with a smaller CPU.
How Much Power Does a Laptop Charger Use?
Another thing one should find out when they have a laptop is whether leaving its charger unplugged would have an impact on their electricity consumption.
Many people have a habit of leaving their charger in the sockets while it is not in use. Research shows that doing this still impacts the amount of electricity a household consumes.
Many people assume that when their laptops are fully charged, they stop consuming electricity. Studies show that this is not actually true.
Your laptop still uses power if it stays plugged in after it is full. The charge also consumes some power if you leave it plugged in.
The power used up by laptops and their chargers when plugged in is known as vampire energy. It might not be a lot, but it still goes a long way to rack up your utility bill at the end of the month.
On average, your laptop charger will use up to 29.84watts when it is left plugged in. your laptop will use up to 22.40 watts if left plugged in after it has charged. The amount translates to over 60% of the power used when you are charging your laptop.
It is for this reason that you are advised to switch off the socket when your laptop is not charging. Some people recommend you unplug it from the socket if it is not charging.
It will go a long way to reduce the amount of money you pay as electricity bills when you are done.
If you have an extension cable with over one charger plugged into it, unplug your charger after use. You get to use your laptop’s battery instead of using up electricity when your laptop is fully charged.
How to Check the Laptop Power Consumption
With all this information, I am sure you are curious to know how much power your laptop consumes every time you use it.
Knowing this information will come in handy when you are trying to figure out how to reduce your laptop’s power consumption. There are several ways you can go about it.
The first thing you can do is check your task manager. It is found by right-clicking on the taskbar and searching for “Task Manager.” Here you will find a list of your apps and how it is functioning on your computer.
The task manager also offers details on the amount of space in the CPU the apps or software are using. The only downside to this is, you will not have a clear depiction of power use.
The sign of power usage is denoted by “very low,” “low,” “high,” and “very high.”
Another way to find out how much power your laptop is using is to check your battery use. You can find this under the settings. It will give you a rough idea of how much battery power your apps and software are using.
The good thing with checking under the battery is the fact that you get to see which apps and software are using the bigger percentage of your power.
There is a list of how power has been used in the last 24 hours, and it goes up to a week.
While these might all be great ways to see how your laptop is consuming power, they are not entirely accurate. There are other ways of knowing the exact power your laptop is using.
Laptop Power Consumption Calculator
One of the surest ways of knowing how much power your laptop is consuming is by using the power consumption calculator.
This is a formula that allows you to calculate how much power your laptop is using. You get a clear picture with the watts that are being used.
The first thing you need to do when calculating your power usage is getting the wattage of your device.
Once you do that, figure out how many hours a day do you use your laptop. Multiplying these two numbers will give you’re your wattage per day.
Many people use kilowatts per hour to know what the electricity company uses when finding out what their bills are. To do this, convert your wattage to kilowatts by diving it by 1000.
Multiply this figure by the number of hours in a day and get your kWh value.
To convert the figure into the amount of wattage you use in a month, take that value and multiply it by the number of days in a month. It will go to great lengths to help determine how much power you use in a month.
If you do not love doing math like most people, there are still other ways you can calculate your power usage in a month. Knowing about them will come easy for you in the long run.
Ways to Determine Your Laptop’s Power Consumption.
One of the easiest ways to determine your laptop’s power consumption is through using freeware available online. All you need to do is download the software and run it through your computer.
Opening it will show you your wattage use and may even offer tips on how to reduce this power consumption.
A wattage meter is another great and accurate way of knowing how much power your laptop is consuming. All you need to do is buy the meter then attach it to the socket. Connect your charger on top of it.
The meter works in real-time and measures the number of watts your laptop uses when it’s switched on. It is a great and easy way to monitor your power use without downloading software or doing math.
How to Reduce Your Laptops Power Consumption
The primary reason many people are keen on their laptop’s energy consumption is to find out what they can do to reduce it. It goes a long way to help cut down on power bills.
Here are a couple of things you can do that will come in handy when you want to reduce the energy consumption of your laptop.
Turn down your screen’s brightness
One of the biggest energy uses on the laptop is the screen’s brightness. A bright screen will mean that your laptop is using up more power, reduce your screen’s brightness if you do not need it, and your battery will last longer. You will also use less power when charging your laptop.
Check the settings on your power management
Update the energy settings on your laptop. There are options for energy saving on your laptop, and all you need to do is find them.
Do not do processor-intensive tasks
Carrying out tasks like editing, and rendering videos is bound to take its toll on your device. If you can avoid doing such tasks on your laptop, you will save a lot of energy being used.
Use your Wi-Fi carefully
If you are not doing a task that requires the internet, switch off your Wi-Fi. It is one of the ways your laptop ends up using a lot of power.
These few tips have been tried and tested and been proven to be very efficient. They will go a long way to ensure your preserve your battery life and save on electricity bills.
Conclusion
We are in a day and age where we cannot entirely avoid using electronics and devices, which reflects highly on the electric bills we pay.
Knowing the power consumption our devices use will go a long way to ensure that we can reduce it and be productive while using less money. It also goes a long way to ensure that our laptop’s battery life serves us longer.