How do I locate applications that drain my battery on a MacBook Pro?

Solution 1:

The Activity Monitor template in Instruments shows average CPU use over time:

You can also use top -o time or Activity Monitor to sort processes by CPU time.

CPU time doesn't always correlate with CPU use though. It's reset when a process exits, so the list won't include old mdworker processes or applications that have been quit manually.

Solution 2:

Unfortunately there's no real quick and easy answer for this questions, but her are a few tips.

1. You can hold down SHIFT at startup to disable non-essential kernel extensions and startup items. However you will lose some functionality (such as graphics acceleration.) See http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1564
2. If you are using a 15 or 17-inch MacBook Pro, then you can use System Profiler/System Information to see if your programs are turning on the Discrete graphics card (which uses more power than Integrated graphics.) See http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4152
3. Use Activity Monitor, located in Applications -> Utilities, and check for unusual CPU or Disk Activity. Make sure to click "My Processes" and change to "All Processes." You can click on a column header such as CPU% or Real Mem to sort processes/Applications. Perhaps purchasing a program like iStatMenus (which provides real-time monitoring in the Mac menubar) will be helpful. See http://bjango.com/mac/istatmenus/

HTH