Reducing energy consumption is a smart, money-saving tactic but can backfire if not thoughtfully implemented.
Recently, The National Lotteries Newsagents Association provided tips to members for saving electricity here, which included implementing smart power settings for computers.
"25. Implement smart power management for PCs
Use power management settings to ensure computers enter standby mode when not in use, minimising energy wastage."
Unfortunately, before releasing this information sheet, they did not tell us, and we only found out when our users started ringing us up on how to do this. What worries us is those who did not ring us up, as while savings are possible, improperly configured power management could cause problems if this is done.
If you are going to do this, consider this before enabling power-saving policies on your computers:
Firstly, power savings can reduce the speed of your computers by slowing down the computer; slowing down saves power.
Workflow Disruptions
Computers entering standby automatically when briefly unused may prevent staff from resuming work. This can lead to:
- Loss of unsaved data
- Frustrated employees if unexpected logout occurs
- Slower customer service
All people working on your computers need to be trained on how to handle computers on standby.
System Availability Issues
POS systems often rely on constant uptime of services like:
- Backend servers for uninterrupted data access
- Automatic backups
- Print servers for receipts
- Computer updates
Frequent sleep disruptions on these devices may cause problems with this.
Application Interruption Risks
Unlike standard shutdown procedures, power management settings may force applications to close before finishing tasks. This could result in data loss or file corruption. Most of your software does not have autosave features; if so, it will cause problems. Sometimes people who run software with autosave, turn it off as it runs slower and is unnecessary.
Remote Access Limitations
One of the excellent features of our software is that it allows you to log in anywhere in the world at any time; if this is not done, you will lose this ability.
Recommendations
Please consult us first to avoid issues.
Before deployment, thoroughly test power settings and roll out gradually to catch any issues early.
With careful implementation, you will find that your electricity usage will be reduced without negatively impacting operations.
