What is ErP in BIOS? (Explained Here)

You might have encountered a setting about ErP on your device since most systems usually have an Erp mode in Bios on them. If you have not seen it yet it does not necessarily mean that it is absent from your system. Some users are unaware of it while others have seen it but do not understand what it is. This article has all the information you need to understand what ErP in BIOS is and if you will consider enabling it or not.

What is ErP in BIOS? It refers to a power loading bios feature that gives the motherboard orders to shut down power to every energy-consuming system element. The elements are simply the Ethernet and USB ports on your system. Once Erp in BIOS is enabled on your system, any device connected to your system will not be charged. It is a unique feature as it ensures that the system does not drain all the energy by turning off all the energy-consuming devices.

What is ErP in BIOS?

If you have enabled ErP in BIOS, your system can limit itself to an extremely low power consumption state when in sleeping mode, shut down mode, or standby/hibernation mode. ErP mode in BIOS on laptops and computers dictates whether your system will use 1 watt of power and below or not when shut down. The Erp mode provides security by retaining the system in shutdown mode until the user intervenes by using a remote to power ‘’ON’’ the system or by pressing the power ‘’ON’’ button.

Enabling ErP in BIOS in a laptop, computer, or any other energy-consuming component is a strategy whose objective is to reduce the environmental effects of energy wastage that originates from devices that repeatedly consume electricity even after the system is shut down. Over time, a noticeable amount of power is saved by having the system consume a reduced amount of energy and you also save on energy costs.

Your system should comprise a motherboard and a power loading bios for Erp mode to be enabled. The motherboard is the basic requirement since it gives the ErP authority to turn off every device connected on the system.

When Does ErP Operate in BIOS?

ErP mode in BIOS takes effect when the system is at:

• Shutdown Mode
• Hibernate/Standby Mode
• Sleep Mode

S5 State in ErP

S5 signifies the shutdown mode of your system. This means that when your system is shut down, it is in S5 state. While in this state, also referred to as the “shutdown” mode, the system does not perform any computational function or keep any memory in hardware and software. The following are the characteristics of enabling ErP mode in Bios when in S5 state:

Power Consumption

Power usage is incredibly low, down completely. Only some detectable quantities of current are distributed to power switch and some other system components from the source of power. This ensures that the operator performs a system reboot when need be.

Software Resumption

A reboot cycle is needed after waking up with ErP mode enabled in Bios. This means that there is no state of software retained when the system is in the S5 state/shutdown mode.

Hardware Latency

The hardware latency is undefined and extended with ErP mode in BIOS enabled on your system. Therefore, the system can only return to a working state or condition after the user directly interacts with the machine. For example, if the system is in the shutdown mode, it will return to its wake-up state after the user has physically interacted with the machine, such as pressing the ON button.

If you would like to awaken your system from a return timer, do it from BIOS settings customizable on the system.

System Hardware Context

When your system is in the S5 state and the Erp mode in BIOS enabled, no Hardware context is retained/stored.

S4 State in ErP

This state also referred to as the ‘’Hibernate mode’’ is the setting that uses the lowest power and puts your system to sleep while still retaining its memory. The hibernate mode has the utmost extended ‘’wakeful’’ latency among other sleeping modes. When your system is in an S4 state with the ErP mode in BIOS enabled, the system attempts to minimize power usage to modest levels by turning off all the related energy-consuming devices. On the contrary, the OS is maintained all the time throughout the Hibernation mode.

The OS context is stored in a ‘’Hibernate File’’. This file is the view of the memory state before the system went into S4 state/hibernate mode, which is written towards the disk by your system. The file is written before the system enters the S4 state. The file is read by the loader upon restarting hence skipping the entire process of rebooting. This enables the file to move forward to the system’s previous pre-standby location without a full reboot on the system.

The following are the characteristics of enabling ErP mode in BIOS when in S4 state:

Power Consumption

Compared with S5 state/shutdown mode when ErP mode in BIOS is enabled, the power usage is down completely with only some traces of current being distributed to the power switch and some other system components from the source of power. This enables the user to initiate a system whenever the need arises.

Software Resumption

When the ErP mode in BIOS is enabled as stated earlier, the system saves a hibernate file right before entering the S4 state. The loader later reads the file restoring the working system to the previous state. In case there is an issue with the hibernate file causing the loader not to read the file, a full boot should be performed on the system to bring it to ‘’Wakeful state’’.

Hardware elements can constantly be modified or reconfigured any time the system enters hibernate mode indicating that system start-up and hibernate file can be affected by any changes introduced on the machine.

Hardware Latency

The hardware latency will be undefined and prolonged when ErP mode in BIOS is enabled on your system. This indicates that your system will start operating again after a physical contact with the machine. For example, if your system is in the hibernate mode/S4 state, it will return to its wake-up state in case of physical contact of the user with the machine. Like pressing the ‘’ON’’ button. The S4 then wakes up in response to the signal coming from the wake on LAN or Modem.

However, if the ErP mode in BIOS is enabled, the system does not return to its ‘’wakeful state’’ even after the awake settings have been activated. Any signals coming from the activity on LAN or Modem are not accepted by the system and hence it does not return to its operating and ‘’wakeful’’ state. To wake up the system from a return timer, do it from BIOS settings customizable on the system.

System Hardware Context

No hardware context is retained on the machine when ErP mode in BIOS is enabled in hibernate mode. The only variation is that, after a proper ‘’Wake-up call’’ by the user, the system returns from the earlier phase in the hibernate mode, unlike the shutdown mode which needs a whole reboot of the system.

What Features are Unavailable When ErP is Enabled in BIOS?

When you enable ErP mode in Bios and the system is shut down, there is no saved state for the system to return to, and a complete reboot of the system is required to restore working functionality. The following are the settings disabled when ErP mode in BIOS is enabled:

• Power on by Mouse – The mouse on your system will not awake the system when the ErP mode in BIOS is enabled.
• Power Management Event Wake Up – It is in control of automatically turning on devices whose ErP mode in BIOS is not enabled after being turned off by the operator
• Wake on LAN – The signals coming from the LAN will not awake the system to return to an operating state.
• Power on by Keyboard – The keyboard on your system will not awake the system when the ErP mode in Bios is enabled.

The trace power consumed by the system in the S5 state does not power USB and Ethernet ports, and all connected devices will be unable to charge while the computer is in a shutdown state.

Should You Enable ErP in BIOS?

When the ErP mode in BIOS is enabled, there are quite some advantages as well as disadvantages as discussed below. Therefore, the choice on whether to enable Erp or not solely depends on you after weighing down both the advantages and the disadvantages. However, for the sake of regulating power usage on your system, you need to enable ErP mode in BIOS especially if you are not using your keyboard, LAN, or mouse to awake your system.

Advantages & Disadvantages of Enabling ErP in BIOS

Advantages

• ErP turns off all the energy-consuming devices thus helping in conserving energy. Therefore, Enabling ErP in BIOS will remarkably reduce energy wastage.
• Both the hardware and the software are not negatively affected after turning on your system to its ‘’wakeful state’’.
• When you put the valid ‘’Power On’’ on your system, having already enabled the ErP mode in BIOS enables the motherboard to conserve energy.
• All the devices that were turned off because of ErP mode being enabled operate well when in ‘’Standby mode’’.

Disadvantages

• Not all options for power handling are displayed when ErP mode in BIOS is enabled.
• You will not be able to ‘’wake up’’ your system using the keyboard or the mouse.
• When ErP mode in BIOS is enabled and the system enters in S5 or S4 mode, you cannot use any USB or Ethernet port.
• The system does not react in response to signals coming from LAN to return to its operating state.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How do I disable ErP in BIOS?

Enable ErP mode in BIOS to shut down all the stand-by power for the ethernet and USB ports. Under the settings for Windows 10 OS: System settings/Power Options > Avoid selecting [Fast Startup] to turn off the keyboard and mouse after the system is shut down.

How to Disable ErP in BIOS?

Click System Settings on the User Setting menu screen, and then press Power Save Setting and ErP Setting in order. Choose your preferred time button. Choose Do Not Switch to deactivate this setting.

What is ErP Ready?

What is ErP in BIOS? or simply ErP Mode in BIOS is a power loading bios feature that gives the motherboard orders to shut down power to all system elements. These components include both the Ethernet ports in your system as well USB ports. This means that you will be unable to charge any connected devices while ErP-Ready is enabled in BIOS on your system.

What is ErP PSU?

Some refer to it as ‘’ErP Compliance’’ while others call it “ErP lot6”. A PSU product line boasts zero power usage and ErP compliance which is done by connecting the power button to the power supply in place of the mainboard.

What is ErP Lot 3 support?

ErP Support decides whether to allow the system to utilize less than 1 Watt of power in shutdown mode/ S5 state. After enabling the setting, these functions become unavailable; Power on by Mouse, PME Event Wake Up, Wake On LAN, and Power on by Keyboard.

Conclusion

Having gone through every detail in this article is enough to give you a clear understanding of ‘’What is ErP in Bios?’’. Enabling Erp mode in Bios on your system contributes to ensuring that a remarkable amount of wasted energy is saved. The basic purpose behind the ErP standard is a green strategy to minimize the environmental effects of energy losses when systems continuously use electricity in S5/shutdown mode.