Eco Button
Eco Button
How does the ecobutton™ work?
The ecobutton™ acts as a strong visual reminder and prompt for you to save electricity each time your computer is going to be left idle.
Eco Button
The ecobutton™ is illuminated and sits on your table/desk top next to your keyboard. It connects to your computer via a USB cable.
Each time you take a short or long break, a phone call, go for a meeting etc. you simply press the ecobutton™ and your computer is put into energy saving ‘ecomode’ which ensures that both your computer and monitor draw only the same nominal power as when they are shut down!
Under normal circumstances people generally do not like turning off their computers due to the time it often takes to restart. However, with ecobutton™ by simply pressing any key on your keyboard (some computers require a momentary press of the power button) your computer instantly returns to
where you left off.
There’s also an additional bonus, each time your computer is put into ‘ecomode’ the clever ecobutton™ software records how many carbon units and how much power and money you have saved by using the ecobutton™.
Over time this can add up to quite a lot (especially if you have many computers running in an office) and you can use this data to help reduce your carbon footprint as well as your energy bills.
Benefits
The Savings
A domestic user running a single computer can make a valuable contribution to the environment by saving up to *135kg of CO2 per year and approximately *£50.00 in electricity per year by using the ecobutton™ regularly.
There are approximately 20 million home PCs in the UK so collectively, through nationwide power saving routines, it could be possible to stop 2.8 million tonnes of CO2 from passing into the atmosphere through computers otherwise being left running idle at home.
And because the ecobutton™ stays illuminated even during ecomode, this can also provide a useful reminder that all unnecessary computers, lighting, heating and air conditioning etc… should be be switched off when not in use.
The environmental impact of PCs left running idle in the UK Computers and monitors can account for half of the electricity used in a typical office. A single monitor left switched on overnight can use the same energy as a laser printer producing 800 A4 printed copies, - and don’t be fooled by a screensaver – the computer is still working at full power to run this!
There are some 10m office PCs in Britain and approximately 20m home PCs, of this 1.8m are regularly left on overnight or all weekend, according to a recent study on energy wastage. Based on this study, around 1.5 billion kWh of energy is wasted by computers and monitors being left on – that’s approximately £115million wasted in the UK every year! Convert this into carbon and we waste around 700,000 tonnes of carbon due to workers not switching off computers and monitors in the UK.
All this office computer waste can be easily avoided by adopting simple energy saving policies which are supported by energy saving devices like ecobutton™.
Based on the study figures, nationally, with one small click, 700,000 tonnes of office PC wasted carbon could be avoided.
The Government is urging everybody to take steps to become carbon neutral The ecobutton™ proactively encourages eco awareness and a satisfaction that collectively, every small click actually adds up to make a BIG difference.
This is emphasized by the provision of an on-screen meter that shows exactly what has been saved in both power cost and carbon footprint. It demonstrates that individually and collectively , we are taking responsibility to reduce our carbon footprint and to cut electricity bills by making more efficient use of
resources.
The ecobutton™ is RoHS compliant and manufactured from recycled plastic. It is a retrofit device so that it will work on any PC running Windows 2000, XP and Vista, and regardless of how energy efficient your IT system may be, the ecobutton™ will contribute to further savings.
With an estimated growth of computer usage of around 40% by 2020, isn’t it about time we all took some action to deal with this growing problem?
Whether you save a lot or a little, you can be assured that by using ecobutton™ you will be making a difference.
Frequently Asked ecobutton™ Questions
Q: Will ecobutton™ work on my computer?
A: ecobutton™ will only work on PC’s (A MAC version will be available later). Some older computers and some hp computers may have difficulty in reactivation. This is a problem with the computer bios and not the software.
Q: Does my PC go into ‘Hibernate’ mode when ecobutton™ is engaged?
A: No, ecobutton™ does not put your PC into Hibernate mode. ecobutton™ educates your PC to use the lowest power mode available to it whilst at the same time, remain capable of waking up quickly for you to resume work.
Q: What kind of sleep mode does ecobutton™ actually engage, is it just the normal Stand By mode?
A: No, ecobutton™ does not employ the normal Stand By mode (although you may get the on screen message ‘Preparing to Stand By’ when you use your ecobutton™, this is simply a default of windows and not an accurate statement in relation to your ecobutton™). The mode that ecobutton™ engages is a deeper energy saving mode than the regular Stand By mode you usually find on a Windows PC. ecobutton™ mode turns off all the components inside your system except the essential memory. When in ecobutton™ mode your system is using as little as 1.8 watts.
Q: Does the ecobutton™ also work the same on laptops?
A: Yes. However, you may need to reactivate by pressing the ‘on’ switch first.
Q: What systems does it run on?
A: Windows 2000 / XP / Vista 32 bit
Q: How much space is required?
A: Less than 5Mb of disk space and a minimum of 256Kb RAM.
Q: Does it need an Administrator to run?
A: Administrative rights will be required to install the software.
Q: What are Administrative rights?
A: If your computer is part of a network you may need to check with your IT department.
Q: I am not allowed to download software from the web.
A: Then please contact us to arrange a disc to be sent to you (nominal charge applicable)
Q: Will ecobutton™ affect my internet connection?
A: All internet traffic will be suspended when the ecobutton™ is used although in most cases, it will simply
continue from where the connection was left off when reconnection is made. Uploads may be affected if interrupted by use of the ecobutton™, but in most cases, it will simply continue when reconnection is made.
Q: Will anybody else be able to access my computer when in ecomode’?
A: For added security, systems can be set to require a password on resume. With this activated, no one can access the computer when it is in ecomode.
Q: How much will I save?
A: This is totally dependant on how your specific system is configured and the use to which it is put, but can be measured fairly accurately by using the built in meter. You can also refer to the savings calculator on this site for help here.
Order a ecobutton™ today from Buy Eco Products