Energy optimization is crucial for extending the battery life of your Apple devices and ensuring they run efficiently. This article focuses on how to optimize energy usage on macOS, providing practical examples and commands that can help you manage energy consumption effectively. Energy optimization in macOS involves configuring system settings, using built-in tools, and employing best practices to reduce power usage. This is particularly important for users who rely on their MacBook's battery life throughout the day.

Examples:

1. Adjusting Energy Saver Preferences:

   • Open System Preferences and select "Battery" (or "Energy Saver" on older versions of macOS).
   • Configure the settings to optimize energy usage:
     • Set the display to turn off after a short period of inactivity.
     • Enable "Put hard disks to sleep when possible."
     • Enable "Slightly dim the display while on battery power."
     • Disable "Enable Power Nap while on battery power."

2. Using Terminal Commands to Manage Energy Settings:

   • You can use the pmset command to adjust power management settings via Terminal. Open Terminal and use the following commands:
     • Set the display sleep timer to 5 minutes:

       sudo pmset displaysleep 5

     • Set the computer sleep timer to 15 minutes:

       sudo pmset sleep 15

     • Enable automatic restart on power failure:

       sudo pmset autorestart 1

3. Monitoring Energy Usage:

   • Use the Activity Monitor to identify energy-intensive applications:
     • Open Activity Monitor from the Applications > Utilities folder.
     • Go to the "Energy" tab to see which apps are using the most energy.
     • Quit or manage energy-intensive apps to save battery life.

4. Using the caffeinate Command:

   • The caffeinate command can prevent your Mac from sleeping during critical tasks. For example, to prevent sleep for 2 hours:

     caffeinate -t 7200

5. Optimizing Background Processes:

   • Disable unnecessary startup items:
     • Go to System Preferences > Users & Groups > Login Items.
     • Remove unnecessary items to reduce background activity.

6. Enabling Battery Health Management:

   • In macOS Catalina 10.15.5 and later, battery health management helps extend the battery's lifespan by reducing its peak capacity when necessary.
     • Go to System Preferences > Battery > Battery Health.
     • Enable "Battery health management."