How-to: Computer--Turn it off or Hibernate Addendum

Update: Some interesting feedback to this post.

Q. What about wear and tear on the fan when you leave it on?
A. According to the Microsoft Help and Support Center "the hibernate feature saves everything in memory on disk, turns off your monitor and hard disk, and then turns off your computer." The fan will not be on during hibernation.

Suggestion:
Hibernation may be almost as good as shutting down the computer as far as energy consumption is concerned. However, shutting down the computer will enhance system and data stability. A complete shut down is not necessary every day, but it is highly suggested to do so every couple of days to, as Monte Enbysk says, "shake the cobwebs from [the] system."