Are my Windows Power Settings Energy Star compliant?

Posted by Alex Verboon on Sunday, November 27, 2011

I am often asked by customers whether their Windows 7 Power Settings are Energy Star compliant.

The recommendations for Windows clients are:

  • Computers must enter system standby or hibernate after 30 to 60 minutes of inactivity.

  • Monitors must enter sleep mode after 5 to 20 minutes of inactivity

    Windows 7 by default comes with 3 Power Plans. High Performance, Balanced (default) and Power Saver. If you have enabled the Balanced or Power Saver power plan then you are using the recommended Energy Star power settings.

            Power Scheme        Standby / Hibernate (Battery / Plugged in)        Monitor sleep mode (Battery / Plugged in)                  Balanced        15 / 30 minutes        5 / 10 minutes                  Power Saver        10 / 15 minutes        2 / 5 minutes                  High Performance        Never / Never        10 / 15           
    

    Additional Information

    Power Policy Configuration and Deployment in Windows
    Manually activating power management in Windows 7