> -----Original Message-----
> From: PCBUILD - PC Hardware discussion List
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Changhsu P Liu
> Sent: Monday, April 13, 1998 9:10 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [PCBUILD] Computer always on ?
>
>
> I look at it from environmental and economy's point of view. There is a
> statistic somewhere about how much forest we can save if all US computers
> are turned off in the night. For my home computer, I wonder how can I
> calculate how much does it cost per month to keep all my computers (3
> total)? Any formulas, ideas? If it's $5/month, it's OK to me. If it's
> $20/month, I don't want to keep my computers on all the time.
>

I'm not sure where your statistic about forests came from, but
over here in the US, the great majority of businesses turn off
all the workstations at the end of the workday.  File servers
and Network servers are left on but they are a very small
minority of the total computer world.

Use an amp-meter to measure the current draw through the AC cord.
Convert the amperage to Wattage (I'm sorry but I don't remember
the exact formula) and then multiply the wattage by the average
number of hours per month that the computer is turned on.
Now multiply this figure by your electrical costs per watt-hour.
The final number is your average cost per month to leave the PC
turned on.