Some might call me cheap, others frugal.  However you look at it, I like to keep any money I can in my pocket by researching, cost-cutting and completing projects on my own.  While things don’t always go as planned, I can honestly say that I have saved the most money by utilizing my PC for things like coupon code hunting, locating instructions for DIY projects and comparing products to find the best value.  Now, with the help of a new, FREE tool I just found, my PC can save me even more money by monitoring and controlling it’s own power usage.  The product is called Granola, the review is below.

Granola “makes computers more energy efficient without slowing them down. It is safe, easy to use, and allows your computer to operate with the performance of a Ferrari, when speed counts, but also with the efficiency of a Prius so you don’t waste energy.”  The program is FREE, lightweight (smaller than a single MP3) and super easy to use.  Installation took me less than 2 minutes and I didn’t have to sign up, provide any information or labor over any settings.  Granola just started gathering information about my PC and then saving me energy and money…. but how?

Granola Gathers, Then Saves

How Granola Works

- taken from granola web site

When your computer is working hard (for instance, when you are playing a game) the CPU needs to be at full speed so that it can work effectively. When your computer is “relaxing” (for instance, when you are browsing a web site) your CPU can “dim” itself by slowing down execution without you noticing. In the lower state, the CPU consumes less energy, thus making your computer more efficient. If you wanted to, you could switch between the “bright” and “dim” modes yourself to match your usage. In order to get the most efficient use of power in your computer system though, you would need to switch DVFS modes every time you changed your usage.

That is where Granola comes in. Using sophisticated workload modeling and prediction algorithms, Granola can determine when your computer is working and the CPU needs to be “bright” and when your computer is relaxing and the CPU can be “dim” without affecting your work. This allows Granola to automatically change DVFS modes to save energy when you can while still running at full speed when you need it.

Get Constant Updates on Your Savings

Get Granola

To download the program and start the install, simply visit:

• http://grano.la

You can also follow Granola on Facebook and Twitter.  Find out about the latest updates, the latest news and hear from other Granola users as they save money and the environment.

• Granola on Facebook
• Granola on Twitter

Donate

Granola is FREE, but they will need donations to keep the program running and updating regularly.  If you find yourself saving even $10 this year because of Granola, why not give them back $3?  The more savings you see, the more you can donate.  Who knows, with enough money and time we might find ourselves using Granola on other devices.  I for one, would love to see the savings.

Tags: Carbon footprint, Electricity, environment, Gather, Granola, green, Linux, Money, power, Save, Savings, Windows

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 29th, 2010 at 8:24 am and is filed under Free Programs, Tips and Tricks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.