The amount of energy a computer uses is not constant. Like a human, a computer uses less energy when it is idle than when it is working. But some Window services - or background processes - can stop a computer from becoming idle. To combat this problem, Microsoft is working on making these services “Trigger-Start" only when needed in order to maximize the amount of idle time. This could make a big diffence to energy consumption. According to Microsoft, an idle computer can use as little as 100-300mW whereas a working computer can use up to 35W.
Additionally, Microsoft is working on processor power management processes. Microsoft's Dean DeWhitt says in his blog, "To further help reduce idle power, we are focusing on core processor power management improvements. Windows scales processor performance based on the current amount of utilization, and making sure Windows only increases processor performance when absolutely required can have a big impact on power consumption."
