Almost everyone has best-ignored carbon emissions, a problem that stays invisible but that doesn’t seem to be working anymore. Some companies, such as Microsoft, have started contributing to reducing their carbon footprint. According to Windows Insider’s latest build, 22567, the Windows team has made Windows Update more eco-friendly.
Windows Update is committed to helping reduce carbon emissions.
Windows Update is helping reduce Carbon emissions
Carbon emissions from computer users in the United States have decreased by 12 percent since 2012, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Microsoft is working to reduce carbon emissions through Windows Update, which provides automatic updates for eligible computers.
It is done by scheduling update installations at specific times of the day. The update will prioritize using clean energy sources when wind, solar and hydro are available. Though users are free to update whenever they want, Microsoft can use the clean energy data to kick start the update if the information about clean energy sources is available for your location.
So how is Microsoft figuring out when there is a cleaner energy source? This feature finds out regional carbon intensity data is available from our partners electricityMap or WattTime. If you are using a laptop, ensure that it is plugged in to use this feature.
Along with this update, the Windows Team has also rolled out improvements in Microsoft 365 subscription management in Settings, Device Setup (OOBE): Phone Linking, Smart App Control, and other changes. If you are on the insider build, make sure to check the features!
That said, Microsoft has not disclosed any data that points to out how much energy Windows update use, which could have given comparative data on the total impact. Another data that could have helped. Is Windows Update being rolled out when clean energy is more? That’s a complicated thing to answer, but I am curious!
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