Even though Windows performs an excellent job of regulating the power on a device, occasionally, you may run into problems with power management, such as short battery life or inefficient energy use. Creating an energy report is helpful in situations like these and can help you determine the cause of your PC’s excessive power consumption. In this post, we will share how to use Energy Report to improve battery life in Windows.
How to Use Energy Report to Improve Battery Life in Windows 11/10
Check out the three methods below to use an energy report to increase the battery life of your PC.
- How to create Energy Report
- The Energy Report: How to Access and Read It
- How to Examine Power Issues Using the Energy Report
Create an energy report from time to time to monitor the changes.
1] How to Create Energy Report
You must have administrator privileges to launch applications to create an energy report. Here is how to go about it:
- Right-click on the Windows logo and choose Windows Terminal (Admin). Press Yes on the User Account Control prompt to open Windows Terminal as administrator.
- Type the following command, press the Enter key, and it will start generating the report.:
powercfg /energy
It will take 60 seconds to complete the evaluation.
When the process is done, you can check the report to learn about the battery and energy efficiency to look into and fix power issues with Windows. Executing the command when there are no open applications and the device is idle when generating an energy report is always advised for the best results.
2] The Energy Report: How to Access and Read It
When you run the command, the energy reported is generated as an HTML file. While you get a summary of errors, warnings, and informational count on the screen, the HTML report includes the details.
- After running the command
powercfg /energyon Windows Terminal, it will generate an HTML report file called energy-report.html.
- In the same Windows Terminal window where the powercfg command ran, type energy-report.html and press Enter. The detailed energy report will open up on your browser.
3] How to Examine Power Issues Using the Energy Report
The energy report is divided into three essential parts and some system-specific information. Errors, Warnings, and Information make up the sections.
Errors in Energy Reports
The energy settings and issues that could result in the most significant power drain are listed in this section. It might provide details regarding battery power configurations, improper power plan options, or hardware that prevents your PC from going to sleep.
However, the energy report is unclear on how to address these issues or where to find more information. The majority, like power plan preferences, are self-explanatory. If you are unsure about the precise meaning of an issue, copy and paste the error name into your preferred search engine to learn more.
Error Example:
Device drivers: Devices with missing or incorrectly configured drivers may use more energy. So, you can either repair these drivers or reinstall them.
Warnings from Energy Reports
Power and energy usage issues that impact the PC less than those in the Error section are listed in the Warnings section. Nevertheless, it is still worthwhile to look at this because there are frequently some quick energy wins to be found.
For instance, the display timeout delay is too long when running on battery power and when plugged in. Reducing this can help in battery preservation and lower energy use.
Warning Example:
CPU Usage: A single process that is heavily utilizing the CPU. The entire CPU usage during the trace can largely be attributed to this process.
Energy Report Information
General information on the various power management settings is provided in this section. The list includes:
- Details on the different sleep modes that your PC supports.
- Information on battery health in this section if your laptop battery seems to be depleting quickly.
- You can view the battery type under the Battery Information section.
- The battery’s charge capacity shows the charge capacity the battery can withhold. The battery may fail and require replacement if the two values differ.
Once you are through the report, you may analyze the data to decide whether to upgrade some components, replace the batteries, or make the necessary modifications to fix the problems.
Conclusion
Everyone needs to understand how Windows utilizes energy and not just laptop users. It is beneficial for the environment and your money to consume less energy. This article provides a clear and easy-to-understand guide about creating an energy report through Windows Terminal, accessing and reading it, and examining power issues using the energy report generated on your browser. You can start managing the energy use of your PC by using the energy report as a guide.
