In today’s world, being conscious of our energy consumption is becoming increasingly important. Whether it’s to save money on our electricity bills or to reduce our carbon footprint, monitoring how much power we are using is a crucial step towards living a more sustainable lifestyle.

For Ubuntu users, there is a handy tool that allows you to see real-time power consumption directly in the top panel of your desktop. This tool, called PowerTop, provides users with valuable information about how much power their system is using at any given moment.

PowerTop is a Linux utility that was developed by Intel to help users optimize their power usage and extend the battery life of their laptops. In addition to providing information on power consumption, PowerTop also offers suggestions on how to reduce power usage by tweaking various system settings.

To install PowerTop on Ubuntu, simply open a terminal and run the following command:

sudo apt-get install powertop

Once PowerTop is installed, you can launch it by typing “sudo powertop” in the terminal. You will then see a screen that displays detailed information about your system’s power usage, including the power draw of individual processes and devices.

To enable the real-time power consumption display in the top panel of your Ubuntu desktop, you will need to install an additional package called “indicator-power”. To do this, run the following command in the terminal:

sudo apt-get install indicator-power

After installing indicator-power, you can activate the power consumption indicator by clicking on the power icon in the top panel of your desktop. This will display a drop-down menu that includes an option to show power consumption.

By enabling the real-time power consumption display in Ubuntu’s top panel, you can easily keep track of how much power your system is using and make informed decisions about how to reduce your energy consumption. Whether you’re trying to prolong the battery life of your laptop or simply looking to cut down on your electricity usage, PowerTop and the power consumption indicator in Ubuntu provide valuable tools to help you achieve your energy-saving goals.