[Publib] Re: Powering off computer gear at night

[Kathleen McCorkle]

Since the electric can go off and on often, in our area,
we turn it all off that means the copier also.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Hopkins County - Madisonville Public Library" <library at vci.net>
To: <publib at webjunction.org>
Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2006 12:43 PM
Subject: RE: [Publib] Re: Powering off computer gear at night


> I turn all of our systems off at night (there are only about 20 in the
> entire building), with the exception of the servers & the storyline
system.
> All of the staff systems get switched off as well. The only issues I have
> had have been a couple of power switches break, but that's been in over 2
> years. With the limited budget we have, we have to watch all the pennies.
> One thing I heard that I wouldn't mind getting some clarification on is
> whether it is advisable to turn off copiers overnight, or let them sit on
> standby.
>
> Terry Caudle
> Hopkins County - Madisonville Public Library
> library at vci.net
> www.publiclibrary.org
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org
[mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org]
> On Behalf Of Joe Schallan
> Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2006 12:24 PM
> To: Publib Publib Discussion
> Subject: [Publib] Re: Powering off computer gear at night
>
> Reed Winterbourne wrote:
>
> "I wonder if the energy use costs that your library could incur by
> leaving
> the computers running throughout the night has been considered. At my
> library the computers and monitors used by both the public and the
> staff are
> powered down after hours to conserve energy."
>
> This reminds of a debate long ago at a nonprofit organization at which I
> worked.  The argument was this -- Is the amount of money saved by
> powering off more that the amount of money expended on repairing and
> replacing computers and monitors, due to the stress on electronic
> components
> from constant turning on and off?  (And there was a side debate on
> whether constant turning on and off did indeed stress components, or
> whether the various chips, capacitors, resistors, diodes, etc., were
> engineered to stand up to repeated powerings-on and off.)
>
> The techies within the organization argued both sides and never could
> agree among themselves.  At the time people wondered if anyone
> had actually carried out an experiment and published the results.  I
> could not find any such report.  So the question remained unresolved,
> and there were those who vehemently felt that all the powering up
> and down was "hard" on the equipment, and those who were just
> as vehemently outraged that we would leave hundreds of computers
> running during off-hours and expend electrical power for nothing.
>
> Anyone?  Karen?
>
> Joe Schallan
> Phoenix
>
> PS.  I wonder if an even greater waste is office lighting -- i.e.,
> lights
> left on in office rooms no one is using, lights left on in offices after
> closing.  If any of you have worked on a project late in an office,
> you may have noticed the behavior of the custodial staff -- they go
> to the main panel and flip on all the lights throughout the building,
> even though they will be cleaning in only one section at a time.
> (I believe this is why when you drive by office towers late at night
> you see so many floors brightly illuminated.)
>
> _______________________________________________
> Publib mailing list
> Publib at webjunction.org
> http://lists.webjunction.org/mailman/listinfo/publib
>
> _______________________________________________
> Publib mailing list
> Publib at webjunction.org
> http://lists.webjunction.org/mailman/listinfo/publib
>
>