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Although laptops are the epitome of convenience and mobile work efficiency, snags like dead batteries can leave you frustrated and impotent. Battery life is a key feature of battery performance is affected by computer usage, so you can take an active role in extending its life. Use these 5 simple tips below to use less energy and get the most out of your laptop’s battery.

1. Lower the LCD Screen’s BrightnessOne easy way to improve your laptop’s power consumption is to lower the brightness level of its LCD screen. When the screen’s brightness is lowered, images may appear darker on the screen. However, if there is an adequate light source available, higher brightness settings are unnecessary. Lowering the brightness is also likely to lengthen the life of your screen.

2. Use Power Saving Options. All laptops should have features that allow a person to improve power consumption. In Windows, these features can be found in a menu named “Power Options” that is located in the Control Panel. For Mac users, there is a feature called “Energy Saver” that is located in the System Preferences menu. You should be able to use these options to tell your laptop how long to wait until it powers off when it remains idle. You should also be able to set warnings to alert you a set period of time before your battery dies so you can save your files.

3. Use Standby More Often. Often people leave their laptops running when they leave their work desk. However, this needlessly consumes battery life. Instead, a person can use standby mode to cut down on power consumption when not using the laptop during these brief periods. Standby mode can usually be accessed by going to Power Options in the Windows Control Panel. Sometimes, this mode is referred to as Hibernation. This power saving mode can commonly be accessed by holding in the F12 key.

4. Disconnect Unused Devices from Your Laptop. Sometimes, a person may keep certain peripheral devices plugged into a laptop even when they aren’t being used. However, even though they aren’t in use, they may still be draining power from the laptop’s battery. If possible, these should be unplugged. Alternatively, certain devices can be disabled if they aren’t in use. Take for example a memory stick. If the memory stick is disabled by the laptop user, it won’t be consuming any of the battery’s power.

5. Turn off the Audio Speakers and headphones often use up a lot of a laptop battery’s power. If you turn the volume down, power consumption is greatly reduced. If the audio is muted, consumption stops all together.

One nice feature in Windows 7 is that it gives users a bit more control over their power settings. But in some cases, even without tweaking your PC to adjust the CPU clock speed, shut down the hard drive, display, or other tweak other features Windows 7 may still help you squeeze more life out of some batteries — either that, or Asus decided to throw a higher capacity in the Windows 7 version of the Eee PC 1008HA. Either way, Chris Guthrie at Netbook Reviews decided to compare battery performance on a Windows XP version of the Eee PC 1008HA and a new model running Windows 7.

The result? The Windows 7 model ran for more than an hour longer. With the brightness set to full, WiFi and Bluetooth on, and the processor set to run at 1.75GHz, the computer ran for 6:07:30. The Windows XP version ran for just 5:03:18 under the same conditions.

Chris used Battery Eater Pro for his test. I’ve stopped using that particular test, since it taxes the CPU non-stop until the battery dies which doesn’t really provide a good picture of real world usage. In other words, it’s quite likely that you may be able to get another hour or two of battery life out of the new Eee PC 1008HA. I haven’t had time to test the battery on my review unit, but you can be sure I’ll be paying close attention to battery performance in light of Chris’s findings.