Q: Is my MITvoip phone energy efficient?

Answer

Most VoIP phones deployed at MIT have a backlit LCD display.  If you have a 430 model phone (look at the back of your phone for the model number), your phone does not have a backlit LCD display.

Backlighting the display consumes about a watt of electricity per day – a small amount for a single phone, but about 144 kilowatt hours per day for all MITvoip phones at the Institute (or enough energy for four to five homes).

To make your MITvoip phone more energy efficient, you can turn off the backlit display when the phone is idle. To do this:

1. Press the Menu Button
2. Press 3 (Settings)
3. Press 1 (Basic)
4. Press 3 (Backlight Intensity)
5. Press 2 (Backlight Idle Intensity)
6. Press 4 (OFF)
7. Press the SELECT soft key
8. Press the SAVE softkey
9. Press the EXIT softkey four times

To turn the backlit display back on:

1. Follow steps 1-5 listed above. 
2. Press 1 for High Intensity or 2 for Medium Intensity.