Ask Dave Taylor
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • YouTube Videos
  • Top Categories
  • Subscribe via Email
  • Ask A Question
  • Meet Dave
  • Home
  • d) None of the Above
  • How to Check Energy Recommendations on your Windows Laptop

How to Check Energy Recommendations on your Windows Laptop

January 31, 2023 / Dave Taylor / d) None of the Above / No Comments

My company wants us to all use the energy recommendation settings in Windows 11 but I’m not sure I want to use them as is. How can I see the settings and tweak the settings for my own preferences instead of just accepting what are recommended?

At its most extreme, your computer is the most energy efficient when it’s not powered up. I know that seems a bit silly but in a lot of ways the energy recommendations from any of the manufacturers nowadays seek to push you to be as close to that working-or-off state, sometimes to a rather ridiculous degree. As you’ll see, the Win11 Energy Recommendations include having your display turn off after 3 minutes idle, which isn’t even enough time to read one page of a complex document.

On the other hand, having your display on and running for hours when you aren’t actually using your computer doesn’t seem like a great idea either, both from the energy perspective and from a security perspective: wake from sleep is a perfect time to prompt for a password again to ensure someone else isn’t using your laptop or desktop computer while you’re at lunch with the boss.

Want to learn more about Microsoft‘s thinking regarding energy efficiency and Windows OS? Check out their tech note on the subject: Power efficient settings in Windows 11.

WIN11 ENERGY SETTINGS AND OPTIONS

To start out, launch Settings on your PC then search for “sleep”:

win11 energy settings sleep lock - settings 'sleep'

There are a number of interesting options to consider, but for this task, we want to go to “Power, sleep, and battery settings“. Choose that and you’ll get to the Power & Battery area:

win11 energy settings sleep lock - system power & battery

Front and center is battery status and it’s charging fast, predicting a 77% charge in about 99 minutes. That’s not our main focus of attention, however, so click on “Energy recommendations” to see what Windows suggests.

win11 energy settings sleep lock - energy recommendations

You can see what I was talking about: 3 minutes and your system will go to sleep and turn off the screen. It might save energy but it’s pretty darn short! Skipping the screen saver is a good idea, however, and I’ve already chosen that option. Stop USB devices when the system is in sleep mode? That can be easy to accept if you only have peripherals – like a keyboard – that are useful when the system is running.

But oh, those super short times. Not sure anyone’s going to stick with that 3-minute timer.

HOW TO FINE-TUNE YOUR SYSTEM SLEEP AND SHUTDOWN

While you might not want to use the super short timeouts of the Energy Recommendations, it’s still a good idea to have a look at your current settings and consider shortening things. One additional benefit you’ll accrue by changing your settings is that your battery will last longer.

Go back to the Battery & Power screen in Settings, then scroll down and click on “Screen and sleep“. It will expand and you’ll see this:

win11 energy settings sleep lock - sleep lock times

I admit, my settings are probably too long and could be shorter. Perhaps 5 minutes for the screen to turn off on battery, 10 on power, and 15 minutes for putting my device to sleep regardless of power source.

That’s it. Now you know where to find the Energy Recommendation settings and where to tweak things too.

Power Tip: I’ve been writing help articles about Windows for years and have an extensive Windows 11 help library here. Please check it out to find lots of additional tutorials and guides while you’re here. Thanks!

About the Author: Dave Taylor has been involved with the online world since the early days of the Internet. Author of over 20 technical books, he runs the popular AskDaveTaylor.com tech help site. You can also find his gadget reviews on YouTube and chat with him on Twitter as @DaveTaylor.

Let’s Stay In Touch!

Never miss a single article, review or tutorial here on AskDaveTaylor, sign up for my fun weekly newsletter!
Name: 
Your email address:*
Please enter all required fields
Correct invalid entries
No spam, ever. Promise. Powered by FeedBlitz
Please choose a color:
Starbucks coffee cup I do have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but first I'd like to say thank you, Dave, for all your helpful information by buying you a cup of coffee!
energy recommendations, pc energy, windows energy saver

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search

Recent Posts

  • Everything You Need to Know about Apple’s Clean Energy Charging
  • How Can I Watch Free Classic Movies on my Windows PC?
  • How Can I Maximize Online Privacy with a VPN Connection?
  • SCAM: Did I Just Buy A Computer From Amazon? I Demand a Refund!
  • How Can I Stop My AirPods Pro Making Beeps and Noises?

On Our YouTube Channel

iClever Bluetooth 34-Key Number Pad Keyboard -- REVIEW

Google Pixel 7 Pro Android Smartphone - UNBOXING

Categories

  • AdSense, AdWords, and PPC Help (106)
  • Amazon, eBay, and Online Shopping Help (164)
  • Android Help (228)
  • Apple iPad Help (147)
  • Apple Watch Help (53)
  • Articles, Tutorials, and Reviews (346)
  • Auto Tech Help (17)
  • Business Advice (200)
  • ChromeOS Help (33)
  • Computer & Internet Basics (782)
  • d) None of the Above (166)
  • Facebook Help (384)
  • Google, Chrome & Gmail Help (188)
  • HTML & Web Page Design (247)
  • Instagram Help (49)
  • iPhone & iOS Help (625)
  • iPod & MP3 Player Help (173)
  • Kindle & Nook Help (99)
  • LinkedIn Help (88)
  • Linux Help (174)
  • Linux Shell Script Programming (90)
  • Mac & MacOS Help (914)
  • Most Popular (16)
  • Outlook & Office 365 Help (33)
  • PayPal Help (68)
  • Pinterest Help (54)
  • Reddit Help (19)
  • SEO & Marketing (82)
  • Spam, Scams & Security (96)
  • Trade Show News & Updates (23)
  • Twitter Help (222)
  • Video Game Tips (66)
  • Web Site Traffic Tips (62)
  • Windows PC Help (951)
  • Wordpress Help (206)
  • Writing and Publishing (72)
  • YouTube Help (47)
  • YouTube Video Reviews (159)
  • Zoom, Skype & Video Chat Help (62)

Archives

Social Connections:

Ask Dave Taylor


Follow Me on Pinterest
Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on LinkedIn
Follow me on Instagram


AskDaveTaylor on Facebook



microsoft insider mvp


This web site is for the purpose of disseminating information for educational purposes, free of charge, for the benefit of all visitors. We take great care to provide quality information. However, we do not guarantee, and accept no legal liability whatsoever arising from or connected to, the accuracy, reliability, currency or completeness of any material contained on this site or on any linked site. Further, please note that by submitting a question or comment you're agreeing to our terms of service, which are: you relinquish any subsequent rights of ownership to your material by submitting it on this site. Our lawyer says "Thanks for your cooperation."
© 2023 by Dave Taylor. "Ask Dave Taylor®" is a registered trademark of Intuitive Systems, LLC.
Privacy Policy - Terms and Conditions - Accessibility Policy