All rechargeable batteries lose capacity as they age, and SCDA IT is unable to issue a waiver on the laws of physics.  But several techniques can improve the performance of Windows devices to get the most out of a battery.

• Device temperature.  Batteries in laptop and tablet computers are much like humans, they like a comfortable temperature.  Devices left in, say, an exceptionally hot or cold car are going to exhibit worse performance.
  • Also, Section B of SCDA's Information Technology policy says devices should not be left in vehicles.
• Installing updates can optimize how well the computer runs.  Dell computers can run Dell Command from Company Portal, while Surface devices install automatically.
• Restarting your computer clears out programs that might not have fully quit and released their resources.
  • Do keep your computer powered on overnight, though; that's the purpose of our Wired Wednesday efforts, though over the weekends it may be best to shut down.
• Sleep modes draw less power, which is valuable for both transportation and when charging on the go.  We recommend going through the Start menu, then clicking or tapping on the Power button, then selecting Sleep to make it abundantly clear to your PC that you want it to go to sleep now.
• If you can, reduce screen brightness to a comfortable level to save battery. Keeping it as bright as you can drains battery. 
• While actively using your computer, close out programs you aren't actively using. As an example, if you are done with WinWam for the day and just working in email, close out WinWam.
• Go to Settings->System->Power & battery and set the Power Mode to "Best Power Efficiency". Adjusting other settings to more conservative options will also help stretch battery life.