If you’ve ever been stranded in the middle of a computer project, then you know how draining battery problems can be. Luckily, there are plenty of strategies available—both simple and advanced—to help you optimize your laptop’s battery life.
Basic techniques: Conservation
The easiest way to help your computer battery last longer is to make sure that your computer is powering only the functions and applications that are really necessary. Just like a car uses more gas when accelerating quickly, your computer uses more energy when it is completing a lot of operations, especially if those operations are complex. Give your battery a break with these easy fixes:
Reduce your screen brightness
A brighter screen takes more power, so the lower the screen brightness, the longer the battery will last.
Avoid playing CDs or DVDs
CD and DVD players have tiny motors to spin the discs, and even tiny motors take a lot of juice.
Shut off the Wi-Fi switch
If you don’t need to use the internet, shutting off your laptop’s Wi-Fi switch will help conserve energy.
Use the touch-pad
When you plug in a USB wireless mouse, the battery has to supply power for the mouse’s laser in addition to powering the laptop itself (if you have a USB mouse that uses a ball instead of a laser, you should be able to use it without any additional drain on the battery).
Don’t be so flashy
Using applications that take a lot of processor power (flash applications, live video streaming, or complex games like Diablo, StarCraft, the Sims, etc.) will drain the battery faster.
Basic techniques: Care and storage
According to HP, a battery’s life can also be affected by how you treat it when it’s not in use. Avoid exposing the battery to extreme temperatures. Remove the battery if you will not use your computer at all for two weeks or more, or if your computer will be plugged into a wall outlet continuously for the same amount of time. If you need to store your battery outside of the laptop, it’s best to store it with a 30-50 percent charge in a place where the temperature reaches between 68-77 degrees Fahrenheit.
Advanced techniques: Discharge and calibration
When you’re near an electrical outlet, you might think that it’s always a good idea to keep your laptop plugged in. After all, that means that your battery will always have a full charge when you need it, right? Well, not exactly. A short battery cycle (using a small amount of the battery life and then recharging it) can actually lower the battery’s ability to hold a charge. It’s better to let the battery do what it was designed to do: Power the machine. When possible, keep your laptop unplugged until the battery is low—then you can plug it in to restore its charge.
HP recommends fully discharging the battery once every three months. That means that you let the battery run out completely, then charge it completely before turning the laptop back on. This process calibrates the battery, and will give your computer a more accurate reading of how much battery life is left (if you never calibrate the battery, Windows may mistakenly shut your computer down even if there is still power available). In order to fully discharge your battery:
- Use your computer until the battery life is low.
- Restart the computer (if you simply allow the computer to run, your computer will shut down before the battery has a chance to fully discharge).
- Before the computer loads, follow your computer’s manual to enter the BIOS (often this is accomplished by tapping the delete or F2 key).
- Let the computer run in the BIOS until the battery is completely drained.
- The computer will shut itself off. Then close the lid, plug it in, and allow it to charge for four hours (or until the battery is at full capacity) before turning it back on.
Reduce your chance of a power predicament. With proper care and conservation, you can eke out the maximum amount of life possible from your laptop battery.
