Windows 7 - Windows 7 Battery Life??

Hi

First of all, I am new to the forum so hi to everyone! This forum so far looks fantastic and so do the members!

Getting to the issue: I currently have Vista and want to not have Vista ASAP!
I need to know if Windows 7 improves on battery life, and if so, by how much? Please provide your knowledge and links(if any) to outside websites that has looked at 7 battery life.

I have a Dell M1530 laptop which has about 5 hours battery life on balance settings. But I really need about 6-8 hours for my work. Many thanks in advance.

Mani

Windows 7 helps decrease power consumption across the enterprise. The power management technologies in Windows 7 provide platform and processor efficiencies that reduce power consumption and can help lower energy costs. Windows 7 also can extend battery life for specific scenarios. Additionally, it provides diagnostic tools that enable original equipments manufacturers (OEMs), independent hardware vendors (IHVs), independent software vendors (ISVs), and IT pros to better manage and troubleshoot power management issues on computers and to extend the battery life for portable computers.