It does not take any power away from any other programs that are running. It can also be set to activate only when the screensaver is activated. My Internet connection costs me over 1p per minute. You only need to be connected to the Internet to upload a completed set of data and to download the next. This takes about 5 minutes on a 28K modem.
Data processing takes up to a day per work unit and much longer if it is run just as a screensaver.
Rather than pinch their tips and reproduce them here, we would prefer you click on the link above and read them for yourselves. Please read them carefully before making any changes as some tips are only appropriate to very experienced users. SETI UK Network accept no responsibility for any problems with your PC if you attempt these suggestions. We will attempt to find the answers for you and add them to this page so that others can benefit.