Laptop power consumption question.

[Jamastiene]

I tend to use my laptop at home more than anything. Most of the time, I keep it plugged into the wall and the battery stays in it. When there is a lightning storm outside, I unplug it and use the battery until I run the battery all the way down, then recharge it after the storm has passed.

If I wanted to consume less energy would I:

1. Keep doing what I'm doing.

2. Use the battery most of the time, and leave the laptop unplugged from the outlet while I'm doing it, then recharge the battery over and over again.

Keep in mind, that I'm online sometimes more than the ~three hours my battery lasts and it takes ~2 and a half hours to charge the battery.

Which way would I be using less energy?

[phantom power]

1. A discharge / charge cycle involves energy loss. I'd leave it plugged in.

[Jamastiene]

4. Thank you.

When I am not using it, I unplug it entirely and put it in its case. Plus, seeing the post below about how many times I can use the battery, I'll use all of this advice.

[InvisibleTouch]

2. I always keep mine unplugged when turned off.

Lots of devices still use power even when they're "off."

I tend to use the battery until it runs down enough for a warning to pop on screen, then I plug it in to recharge while I'm working. It turns out that some days I can alternate between using all-plugged-in on one day, and all-battery the next. Even if I'm working for longer than the battery lasts, I do always try to use the battery until it runs down before I plug it back in.

[Jamastiene]

5. I do unplug it when I'm not using it.

I put it in its case every day when I'm done using it. I unplug it for that for sure.

Thank you.

[customerserviceguy]

3. Unplug the charger from the wall

when you're not charging the battery or actively using the laptop. It always drains some current even if it's not being 'used'.

All you're going to do with #2 is wear out the battery faster. A lithium ion battery has about a thousand charge-discharge cycles in it, and if you use them up, you'll just require a new battery, with all the toxic waste associated with disposing of the old one.

Here's a suggestion: Use one of those electric light timers (the kind people think fool burglars) to recharge your battery for two and a half hours in the middle of the night when you need to fully recharge the battery. It will turn off the 'brick' charger when a full charge should have been reached, and will use energy at a time when demand is down.

[Jamastiene]

6. Thank you.

That makes a lot of sense. I didn't know how long the battery would last. I do keep it unplugged when I'm not using it, because I put it in the case then.

[customerserviceguy]

7. You're welcome

Before I was 'customerserviceguy' I was 'laptoprepairguy'.