Friend Laughed at Me for Turning off PC Monitor

L[Deactivated] on 26/08/2019 - 22:26

So, I'm visiting a friend in Hong Kong and he noticed how I was turning off the monitor after using it and laughed at the fact I was probably going to wear out the power button, causing premature death of the monitor.

Did you guys know that it might be better to just leave your monitor on in standby mode? Apparently it consumes the same amount of energy on standby and if it is off and plugged in. I guess if it has a flashing power button you might want to switch it off because it would be slightly annoying, but as an LED it probably consumes almost no energy at all. In the technical specs it mentions 0.3W for both standby and turned off. Apparently this has become the new norm over time due to environmental lobbying and regulations.

I have to be honest, usually the power button on a normal monitor starts to get faulty after 5-6 years, sometimes it doesn't last as long since I turn it on and off several times a day thinking I am doing something good for the environment. I had a recent Acer that lasted just over 3 years. So what do you guys do? Once I get back I'm just going to leave mine on. You never know, that monitor you have now just last another 5 years than normal. You might even save another monitor from prematurely being sent to landfill.

Hope this saves you guys some cash.

Computing

Comments

  • bloom on 26/08/2019 - 22:29
    +3

    You sir just saved me 0.3W
    Cudos!

  • Zedsdeadbabyzedsdead on 26/08/2019 - 22:50
    +8

    It's a slow news day…..

  • Caped Baldy on 26/08/2019 - 22:52
    +57

    I wouldn't laugh at a friend for turning off their monitor. I might laugh if they made a forum post about it…

  • Oofy Doofy on 26/08/2019 - 23:24
    +6

    I think you should pull each other's pants down, then look down and compare… see who laughs then?

  • [Deactivated] on 26/08/2019 - 23:38
    -3

    That's because HKers get their electricity in bulk for the aircon. (and sometimes poached from their neighbour).

  • barozgain on 26/08/2019 - 23:42
    +8

    I feel bad for the 60 or so seconds I spent reading this post :(

    they'll never come back again

  • Zedsdeadbabyzedsdead on 26/08/2019 - 23:48
    +12

    The way Hong Kong is at the moment I think a PC monitor would be of the least concern….

  • whooah1979 on 27/08/2019 - 00:48
    +2

    I got a 6 way and haven't turned them off in about 10 years. The only time they're off is during lightning or holidays.

    • papachris on 28/08/2019 - 04:55
      +1

      I stopped reading at "I got a 6 way"…

  • sloth7 on 27/08/2019 - 02:39

    lol

  • garetz on 27/08/2019 - 02:53
    +2

    I have a u2711 that is about 10 years old, i turn it off daily.

    I think the screen being on longer than 8 hrs a day would reduce its life much more significantly, than turning it off when not in use.

    • Seedy seed on 27/08/2019 - 07:59

      Tell that to my 14yo benq.

  • chumlee on 27/08/2019 - 05:53
    +5

    I turn my wife off but please don't laugh at me

    • papachris on 28/08/2019 - 04:56

      Turn her off or pull out the bung?…

    • tooblue on 30/08/2019 - 00:04

      How much does she cost? It's certainly much more expensive than inflatable or silicone ones.

  • EightImmortals on 27/08/2019 - 06:20
    +2

    Maybe he was having a subtle dig at the cost of our power as compared to his? I have some friends in Europe who do that, I can can hear them laughing from here when I tell them how much our power bills are…..

  • c64 on 27/08/2019 - 07:57
    +1

    i salute you for your diligence.

    i have my monitors to blank after 1 minute idle and computer suspends after 5 minutes.

    i also have them plugged in to a power-saving board so that once my computer switches off, all the computer's accessories go off - monitors, speakers, etc. i'm not sure how much power the board consumes in standby

    • poboy on 27/08/2019 - 15:18
      +2

      A lot of people are mocking 'saving power'. I find that sad. Because it's the cumulative efforts of all of us that help reduce our energy demands on the planet.

      It's by being conscious of power that we do the right thing when presented by opportunities.

      • whooah1979 on 27/08/2019 - 15:40

        Have you considered the waste from replacing faulty monitors?

      • HighAndDry on 27/08/2019 - 16:09
        +1

        It's a matter of perspective. The electricity wasted by leaving a monitor on stand-by instead of off is so little that you'd save more by just gaming on a computer with laptop components on low-med settings instead of high.

  • Seraphin7 on 27/08/2019 - 08:59
    +1

    I remember once using the power button on my monitors … I think it was just after I took them out of the box and plugged them in.

  • bohn on 27/08/2019 - 09:37
    +1

    I turn mine off at night that's it.

  • payton on 27/08/2019 - 10:00
    +2

    Is your friend 10 years old?

  • scotty on 27/08/2019 - 10:18
    +3

    I have an UltraSharp 1905FP for 14 years that I used to turn off daily, until the power button broke 2 years ago — so yes the longevity of the power button can be a concern. Fortunately that it broke at the On state so now it just stays on (and sleeps when unplugged from computer).

    • papachris on 28/08/2019 - 05:00
      +2

      If you used the same monitor for 14 years, I think you would be absolved over any standby wastage…

  • wheretobuychocettes on 27/08/2019 - 11:09
    +4

    Get yourself one of those power boards that has master/slave plug points. I keep my PC as the master, and all others as slave, with my phone charger as constant power. This way, when my PC is powered on, the power gets sent to my monitors and speakers, and when the PC turns off, the monitors and speakers lose power. No need for manually switching things on/off that way. =]

  • HardlyCharly on 27/08/2019 - 12:06
    -1

    Wait. So the PC was off, and then you still went to the extra trouble to turn off the monitor because of the LED light? Oh, he was right to laugh.

  • cauilfield on 27/08/2019 - 12:14
    +2

    0.3W24365=2,6kWh per annum ~ approximately 65 cents per annum

  • Laziofogna on 27/08/2019 - 13:12
    +1

    Thinking that someone tries to help the environment turning his monitor off nearly made me cry. I’ll go hugging my tree now to pull myself up

  • kranix on 27/08/2019 - 19:06
    +2

    Most of the waste would come from the delay before the automatic standby kicks in. If you turn it off as soon as you get up, you avoid that delay.

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