a turn off is a turn on.

The word on that block once was that you should keep your computer on rather than turn it off because it took more energy to reboot than it did leaving it on. Well, we did some research (and howstuffworks.com did some math) and here’s the dilly: A typical PC consumes something like 300 watts. Let’s assume that you use your PC for four hours every day, so the other 20 hours it is on would be wasted energy. If electricity costs 10 cents per kilowatt-hour in your area, then that 20 hours represents 60 cents a day. Sixty cents a day adds up to $219 per year.

No brainer to shut down then right? Well, we know you may also have a concern about rebooting your system being a detriment to your actual computer components, stressing them out and creating wear. Hardware actually has turned out to be pretty burly. TVs also use the same components as computers and have no problems being switched on and off. Plus, most if not all computers have energy saving features now that will cut your energy spend in half – like hibernate and sleep mode, so you can turn your computer half-off if you are really worried. And another thing? Turn your monitor off. Always. Even though your computer’s off, your monitor’s still pulling energy until its shut down.