Super Eco

Photo credit: Ecobutton

You know why you keep your PC running all the time, don't you? Because it takes a week to power back on, that's why. Sometimes two weeks. Macs, as much as we love them, aren't much better. So we Sleep our computers and laptops at night, or maybe Hibernate them, but during the day they just run. And run. And suck power.

But what if you could hit a button any time you got up from the computer—getting that second cup of coffee, running a few laps around the cubicles, grabbing a snack, or even just taking a phone call—and hit it again when you return, restoring your computer to full power where you left off instantly? Now you can, with the U.K.-based Ecobutton (about $25, including shipping), a USB device that connects to your computer. You'd train yourself to send your computer to "ecomode" (a power-saving mode for both your computer and monitor that uses the same nominal amount of power as when fully shut down) whenever you weren't actually using it. Special software even records how many carbon units and how much energy you are saving. (Super Eco saw the Ecobutton in action at this year's Consumer Electronics Show.)

Household computer users typically save 650 pounds of CO2 per year and approximately $30-50 in electricity per computer (calculate your potential savings); there are obvious advantageous applications for businesses as well, with rows of office cubicles each sporting an electricity-sucking computer. Another advantage for businesses is security: with the Ecobutton and your monitor switched off while you're away, no one casually passing by can see the pirated movie you are downloading highly secure secret stuff you are working on.

Use your computer with less guilt, save money, save energy, save the planet. Yeah, we're sold.