Q:Does it hurt my computer to shut it off every night?
A: No. Modern computers are designed to cycle through a very high number of shutdowns- far more than the typical lifecyle of a computer at Colby. It does them more harm in the long run, as well as using significantly more energy, to keep them turned on.

Q: But it takes so long to start back up in the morning. What should I do?
A:Mac users: you can set your computer to start up automatically, so it will be running when you arrive. See instructions .

Q.My computer is a backup server. What should I do?
A: Of course, you should leave your computer on the night of a scheduled backup. But, be sure to disable the animated screensaver running in the backup program. If it has an option for a dim screen, choose it. Otherwise, set your computer to sleep but enabled to wake up when it's time for the backup.

Easy energy saving tip: if your monitor is separate from your computer with its own off button, turn it off when you're going to be away from your desk for a while.