Computer

Do you pay a lot of electricity to use your computer? could be your monitor

With the rise in electricity rates, one of the biggest concerns for computer users is energy consumption and therefore the economic impact of each of the components and peripherals. One of them is the screen and it is possible that you have considered changing your screen for a more efficient one. That is why we are going to teach you in a simple or fast way How to measure the consumption of your monitor.

The change from CRT monitors, traditionally tube, to flat screen monitors, like the ones we use today, resulted in significant energy savings in all homes. Especially in computers, since a 19-inch monitor could consume an average of 90 W, while an LCD usually stays at 25 W. If we take into account that the price in Spain per kWh is now 0.34 € on average and an average use of 8 hours a day, this would cost approximately €90 per year with the old monitors and €25 with the new ones.

How much does my monitor consume?

Not all monitors consume the same and there are several factors that affect the consumption of a monitor when we are using it. These are the following:

  • The type of panel usedsince an LCD or OLED panel does not consume the same and within each one the different subtypes also differ completely
  • The native monitor resolutionsince there are more lights that we have to turn on.
  • The panel sizethe larger, the higher the consumption.

Our advice is not to go by size within the same screen resolution, it may seem that a larger monitor is better, but not only does it consume more, but also the image quality suffers as there is a lower pixel density.

Monitor Photoshop consumption

via software

through the Joulemeter application for Windows you can monitor how much the different components of your computer consume, the program is based on the readings of the internal sensors integrated in the different components such as the motherboard, the hard disk and even the screen. So with this you will be able to know how much your monitor consumes. Of course, the problem comes from the fact that it is not a direct measurement and it is not totally reliable.

In case you use a Apple Macintosh Computer, you just have to go to System information where it will be specified. However, it is the same case as the previous one and it is based on the MEMS readings that monitor the health of the computer components at all times to avoid major problems and safeguard their integrity.

Through a consumption meter plug

The formula for electrical power is the one that says that the power in watts is the multiplication of the voltage by the current measured in amps. Knowing the voltage to which the monitor is connected is not difficult and should appear in the specifications of the same, but the amperage is something different and many manufacturers usually give a range. Moreover, we can find versions of the same model that differ from the official specifications.

That is why the best way to measure what the screen consumes is to use a plug with a built-in electronic consumption meter. In particular, one that gives you the power consumption in kWh is recommended, so that you can calculate how much your monitor consumes. For us, it is the most efficient way to measure it and it can be used to measure other appliances in the house, to know if you have to retire one of them for another much more efficient one in order to save on electricity bills.

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