Best Laptop Battery Saving Solutions for openSUSE

Setting up

2. 2. Installing TLP on openSUSE

   TLP is a powerful and easy-to-use tool for optimizing battery life on Linux laptops. It applies advanced settings automatically at startup.

   sudo zypper refresh
   sudo zypper install tlp tlp-rdw
   

   Once installed, enable and start TLP with:

   sudo systemctl enable tlp
   sudo systemctl start tlp
   

   It runs automatically at boot — no configuration needed for most users.

3. 3. Enabling Auto-CPUFreq for Dynamic CPU Scaling

   auto-cpufreq is a modern, intelligent CPU frequency manager that dynamically adjusts performance based on battery or AC power.

   sudo zypper install git
   git clone https://github.com/AdnanHodzic/auto-cpufreq.git
   cd auto-cpufreq && sudo ./auto-cpufreq-installer
   

   Then run the daemon installer:

   sudo auto-cpufreq --install

   This tool works great alongside TLP and is especially helpful on modern laptops.

4. 4. Optimizing with PowerTOP

   PowerTOP by Intel analyzes and helps to reduce power consumption on Linux.

   sudo zypper refresh
   sudo zypper install powertop
   

   To apply tuning:

   sudo powertop --auto-tune

   You can also monitor usage in real-time:

   sudo powertop

5. 5. Installing Laptop Mode Tools (Optional)

   Laptop-mode-tools is not available in openSUSE’s main repositories. You can build and install it manually:

   sudo zypper install git make
   git clone https://github.com/rickysarraf/laptop-mode-tools.git
   cd laptop-mode-tools
   sudo make install
   

   Then enable and start the service:

   sudo systemctl enable laptop-mode
   sudo systemctl start laptop-mode
   

   May conflict with TLP — test to see which works best for your setup.

6. 6. Additional Tips to Save Battery

   • Lower Screen Brightness — Use Fn keys or brightness applets.
   • Disable Bluetooth when not in use:

     rfkill block bluetooth

   • Turn Off Wi-Fi if not needed:

     nmcli radio wifi off

   • Use Lightweight Desktop Environments — XFCE and MATE consume less power.