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Power management is a cross-desktop concern. Laptop users may prefer achieving more before running out of battery, but desktop PCs count for a surprisingly large percentage of worldwide power consumption. Competing on power efficiency gives Linux an even stronger argument in terms of running costs, and is also the right thing to do from an environmental viewpoint.

While much of the oeprating system's power management functionality is down to the kernel, it can be influenced heavily by the behaviour of desktop applications. Certain use patterns are more energy efficient than others and using hardware in certain ways makes it more practical to power it down.

This talk will concentrate on the basics of ensuring power efficient behaviour in desktop environments, covering best practices and things that should never be done ever.