by James Dorian
Most laptops are designed to consume more power than they need to. This is usually to ensure various processes function in the background smoothly and at a rapid speed to give the optimum performance. But this isn’t cost-effective for you or healthy for your laptop.
Fortunately, the new energy-saving mode on Mac is great at saving energy. This new software makes a world of difference and doesn’t require you to manually close applications that consume battery. Here are five great benefits of using the energy-saving mode on Mac, both for your device and for the environment.
Cost-efficiency
Finding ways to reduce energy consumption includes reducing power consumed by your personal electronics, including your Mac. Using it in energy-saving mode won’t disrupt your workflow or slow performance but it will certainly save you money on your monthly bills.
Thanks to the partnership between Apple and Energy Star, new devices can save a significant amount of energy. If you’re buying a new Mac and are confused between the MacBook Air M1 vs Macbook Air Intel, comparing the energy consumption along with the price of the product can be a good way to find the most cost-effective product. While energy consumption may not seem important at first, it makes a big difference in processing speed, battery life, and thermals. Thus, reducing energy consumption will further reduce other related costs.
Improves battery life
Battery life can be improved by “undervolting” the laptop or by using the energy-saving mode. Since undervolting is very risky, using the energy-saving mode is the best option for keeping the battery healthy. Lower consumption of energy at all times will put a lesser load on the battery and improve its life. This will also save you money that would otherwise be spent on changing the battery every two years.
The energy-saving mode also limits the energy used by certain applications that might consume a lot of energy. However, it must be kept off during processing-intensive tasks such as rendering and video editing.
The battery life is also boosted in the long term. Laptop batteries lose their initial efficiency with time but by using the energy-saving mode and reducing battery usage, this drop in efficiency is significantly reduced.
Improves thermals
Thermal management is important, not just for the battery but for almost all components of the Mac. By using the energy-saving mode, thermal management becomes fully automatic. This mode limits temperatures by limiting the processing speed and power. For example, in MacBooks with a maximum of 3.5 GHz processing speed, the energy-saving mode limits it to about 2.6 GHz, which keeps temperatures well below 60 degrees. Maintaining an average of 60-70 degrees keeps the laptop and its components healthy while also improving the overall life of the Mac.
Incorporating other practices such as applying thermal paste once every year or cleaning dust from the fans can improve thermals as well. By keeping the fans clean, the energy-saving mode will be able to maintain temperatures more efficiently and easily.
Limits background applications
The energy-saving mode, as mentioned, limits certain applications from using the battery. Plenty of different applications continue to run in the background, mostly to make initiation times faster or to send regular notifications. When the energy-saving mode is on, these applications are closed or delayed to reduce the energy they consume.
This allows you to direct that energy to your main application or save it and make the battery last longer. The difference in battery life in the long term is also improved by limiting the use of energy by background applications. You needn’t constantly check your background applications while struggling with short battery life as the mode does all of it by itself.
Saves the environment
The reason Apple partnered with Energy Star to reduce their devices’ energy consumption was to reduce the impact Macs have on the environment. With electronic devices being a part of almost all aspects of our life, reducing the energy each device consumes becomes extremely important in saving natural resources and the environment.
It may not be a big saving in comparison to the daily consumption of the world. But by making personal efforts at reducing battery consumption, the energy saved by all energy-conscious people combined would make a huge difference. While this isn’t a benefit related to your laptop’s performance, it is a benefit that you can enjoy as someone willing to reduce their carbon footprint.
Conclusion
These benefits are sufficient in making the energy-saving mode a must-use for all iMac and MacBook users. Keeping these in mind, try to use the energy-saving mode whenever possible to improve battery life, thermals, and longevity of your device while saving the environment as well. It’s one of the best long-term features incorporated in the Mac ecosystem and is of use to everyone.
About the Author
James Dorian is a technical copywriter. He is a tech geek who knows a lot about modern apps that will make your work more productive. James reads tons of online blogs on technology, business, and ways to become a real pro in our modern world of innovations.
