The ecobutton™ acts as a strong visual reminder and prompt for you to save electricity each time your computer is going to be left idle.

The ecobutton™ is illuminated and sits on your table/desk top next to your keyboard. It connects to your computer via a USB cable.

Each time you take a short or long break, a phone call, go for a meeting etc. you simply press the ecobutton™ and your computer is put into the most efficient energy saving mode available - we call this 'ecomode'.

People generally do not like turning off their computers due to the time it often takes to restart (particularly when hibernate is used). However, with ecobutton™ by simply pressing any key on your keyboard (some computers require a momentary press of the power button) your computer instantly returns to where you left off.

There's also an additional bonus as each time your computer is put into 'ecomode' the clever ecobutton™ software records how many carbon units and how much power and money you have saved by using the ecobutton™. Over time this can add up to quite a lot (especially if you have many computers running in an office) and you can use this data to help reduce your carbon footprint as well as your energy bills.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Will ecobutton™ work on my computer? ^

A: ecobutton™ will only work on PCs (A MAC version will be available later).
Some older computers and some hp computers may have difficulty in reactivation. This is a problem with the computer bios and not the software.

Q: What operating systems does it run on? ^

A: Windows 2000 / XP / Vista 32 and 64bit

Q: Does my PC go into 'Hibernate' mode when ecobutton™ is engaged? ^

A: No, ecobutton™ does not put your PC into Hibernate mode. ecobutton™ educates your PC to use the lowest power mode available to it whilst at the same time, remain capable of waking up quickly for you to resume work.

Q: What kind of sleep mode does ecobutton™ actually engage, is it just the normal Standby mode? ^

A: No, ecobutton™ does not employ the normal Standby mode (although you may get the on screen message 'Preparing to Standby' when you use your ecobutton™). The mode that ecobutton™ engages is a deeper energy saving mode than the regular Standby mode you usually find as default on a Windows PC.

On most PCs there are 4 inbuilt sleep states - S1, S2, S3 and S4. With each successive sleep state, from S1 to S4 (hibernate), more of the computer is shut down. However, the majority of PCs are actually supplied with S2 and S3 disabled leaving just the most shallow sleep state (S1) and the deepest (S4 hibernate) available to most users. Most people tend not to use hibernate due to the length of time the PC takes to wake up leaving just S1 as the only convenient option.

The sleep states built into most PCs are as follows:

S1 = Basic Standby (Shallow sleep). Typically wakes up in no more than two seconds
S2 = Less power consumption than S1 and greater than in S3. Wake up is usually two seconds or slightly more.
S3 = Less power consumption than in S2. Wake up time is the same as S2.
S4 (hibernate) = The lowest power state but with a long wake up time - sometimes a few minutes or more.

ecobutton™ re-educates your PC to use S3 when the ecobutton™ is pressed.

For more detailed information about the various sleep states please see this link http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms798270.aspx

Q: Why does the ecobutton™ contain lights?

A: The ecobutton™ contains 3 very small LED lights that glow and form an important part of the visual presence of the product - reminding the user to press the button at every opportunity and helping to encourage power saving habits. The LEDs are an extremely efficient form of lighting and draw a maximum of 0.1 watts - a virtually insignificant amount of electricity.

Q: Does the ecobutton™ also work the same on laptops?

A: Yes. However, you may need to reactivate by tapping the On/Power switch first.

Q: How much space is required on my system?

A: Less than 5Mb of disk space and a minimum of 256Kb RAM.

Q: Does it need an Administrator to run?

A: Administrative rights will be required to install the software.

Q: What are Administrative rights?

A: If your computer is part of a network you may need to check with your IT department.

Q: I am not allowed to download software from the web.

A: Then please contact us to arrange a disc to be sent to you (nominal charge applicable)

Q: Will ecobutton™ affect my internet connection?

A: All internet traffic will be suspended when the ecobutton™ is used although in most cases, it will simply
continue from where the connection was left off when reconnection is made.

Uploads may be affected if interrupted by use of the ecobutton™, but in most cases, it will simply continue when reconnection is made.

Q: What about security - will anybody else be able to access my computer when in 'ecomode'? ^

A: For added security, systems can be set to require a password on resume. With this activated, no one can access the computer when it is in ecomode. This offers added security - especially for workplace environments where a logout is required by users - as ecobutton™ will automatically logout and require users to password login again to resume work.

Q: How much will I save?

A: This is totally dependant on how your specific system is configured and how often you use your button. Obviously, the more often you use your ecobutton™ the more you'll save, and remember, every little click adds up so even short breaks are worth pressing the button for. And don't forget that collectively, as part of a community of ecobutton™ users, you'll be saving a lot more.

Typically a single user could prevent 135kg of CO2 from entering the atmosphere with regular use of the ecobutton™. Collectively this could add up to over 4 million tonnes of CO2 across the UK alone.