What do you know about your Laptop Battery?

Every laptop has a certain battery life and we notice that down the line after some months of usage, battery life reduces and sometimes dies out and some users claim that the laptop brand is not good because of that. I for one have always believed that the way you use your laptop matters because as an electronic device, you need to optimize the usage to get the best out of it. Sleeping on that, i stumbled on Thomas Mikaelson article listing five ways of doing that and an interesting info graphics from batteries.com you should see.

Screen Brightness:
Screen brightness is a top juice draw, and most users have their brightness turned too high. The reason for that is that the manufacturers and retailers jack up the brightness to make them more attractive on display. But you don’t need it that high, and chances are it’s contributing to your eyestrain. By turning brightness down to the minimum usable level, you can make yourself more comfortable and extend the per-usage life of your laptop batteries.

Use It Or Lose It:
A big mistake that many laptop users make is that they leave their laptop plugged in while the battery is connected. This causes a constant drain-charge cycle that slowly decreases the capacity of laptop batteries. Instead, remove the battery from the laptop when connecting it to a wall outlet, or only connect it to the wall outlet when it requires a charge; the latter is an excellent way to maintain long-term battery health.

Beat The Heat:
Heat diminishes available power in two ways: It causes power to drain less efficiently, and it forces the fans to run more and at higher speeds. Manage this by keeping vents clear and clean. Watch for obstructions, such as laps and seating, and consider a laptop cooler, which can often cool your laptop more efficiently than the fans alone.

Beware Of Accessories:
Attaching, including charging, accessories via USB is a great and inefficient draw of power on laptop batteries. Never charge your cell phone via your laptop unless it is an emergency. Likewise, avoid using external drives and similar accessories whenever possible. Instead, wait to use them until you have an electric outlet available.

Keep It Dry:
Using our laptops on the go, accidents are bound to happen. At some point, you will spill coffee or some other liquid. When a spill happens, go the extra mile to dry it. If it’s a substantial spill, even if there’s no apparent effect, take it for repair. Spills often cause corrosion on contacts, and although that corrosion may not prevent the laptop from operating, it will cause power usage to be inefficient, and over time, that inefficiency can be significant.