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The solution, we're told, is to start saving power now, before the hydro schemes dry up and we run out of natural gas to fire our thermal stations.

So just what are you and your computer doing to help?

Most modern PCs have a raft of different "power saving" features that are designed to turn off certain components when they're not actually being accessed.

For example: there's little point in having a power-hungry CRT monitor gulping large amounts of power if nobody's looking at it is there?

Most sensible people have their screensavers set up to kick in after 5-10 minutes of inactivity -- but most of the systems I've seen simply switch to some entertaining (or boring) pattern of flying windows, starfields, scrolling banners or Garfield animations rather than powering down the monitor. Tsk tsk!

Readers Say (updated irregularly) Screensavers and lightbulbs... - Allister Compact Flourescent... - Conrad power saving... - Nathan More Power for Less... - Wally Have Your Say

Given that just about every business in the country has one or more PCs which run at least eight hours per day, I wonder how much power we'd save if everyone configured their screensavers to switch the monitor off (or at least into standby mode) after 5 minutes of inactivity?

Then there's the issue of lighting...

Take a look around your house. Are you using those energy-saving folded fluorescent tubes that are a plug-in replacement for conventional light bulbs?

I saw the 100 watt-equivalent versions of these on sale this week for just a few dollars.

Given that they are supposed to last several times longer than an incandescent bulb, while also using just a fraction the power, surely there's little reason for us to be sticking with "old" technology is there?

Well I have to admit that I'm not sold on these new-fangled bulbs.

To my eyes, the 100W equivalents only seem to produce about as much light as a 75W incandescent -- which is seldom enough for the comfortable illumination of any room larger than the toilet.

I'm not impressed with the lifetime of these things either. A while back I bought five units. Two failed within three months. Two others failed within a year and the last one finally expired after about two years of intermittent service.

What's more, during that time I had to put up with living and working in the "dimness" that is "energy-efficient" lighting.

But wait -- there is hope on the horizon!

The latest generation of high-efficiency light emitting diodes (LEDS) are truly impressive.

If you haven't seen one of the new pocket torches that use this technology then I strongly recommend that you do. Not only do they produce a very bright, very white light but they're also so efficient that a torch powered by AA cells will last for around 100 hours of continuous use.

Go and work out how much it costs to run regular bulb-based torch for 100 hours and you'll see that the LED units are a real bargain. Why on earth are people still using 100-year-old technology in the face of clearly superior products?

And why am I mentioning torches?

Well when the power goes off, because hundreds of thousands of unattended PCs are left running with flying windows shooting across the screen, you'll need some way of navigating in the dark.

And of course if any Aardvark readers have an opinion on today's column or want to add something you're also invited to chip in and have your say.

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