Smart IT Saves Energy and Money

One of the most talked about concepts in IT management involves how a company can save money on their energy costs? Is it possible to realize significant savings by changing buying habits or making changes to the configuration of your computer systems?

There are a few of things that you can do to start seeing some savings. How significant the savings are depends on your current energy costs, the availability of rebates in your area, and your exact computer user needs. However, in general, doing the following will save you approximately 200 KWh per year per computer according to a number of online sources.

1. Create a PC Power Management Policy. Just turning on the built in power saving features of Windows can save a lot of energy usage. When systems are not in use for a period of 15 minutes, they can enter a sleep mode which changes the power requirements of a system and monitor from about 100W to 10W. This does not mean that a screen saver is loaded on the system as that does not save any power at all. The systems and monitors have to enter a sleep mode.
2. Peripherals can use significant energy. One idea to reduce after hours energy consumption is to require that all users have a power strip into which all computer and peripheral equipment is plugged in. When the user leaves for the day, the power strip is turned off ensuring that all computer equipment is off.
3. Replace old CRT or tube based monitors with Flat Panel displays. A 17" CRT can use up to 90 W of power. A new 17" flat panel uses closer to 35 W.
4. Replace old desktop computers. The older a desktop computer is, the more power it uses. Replacing old desktop boxes can provide a 25% savings in power consumption.
5. Use a third party policy management software suite. Verdiem's Surveyor and 1E's NightWatchmen are prime examples of products that measure and maintain policy compliance.

An independent study done by QDI Strategies suggests that implementing a power saving policy such as listed in 1 and 2 above could save as much as $24 per year per computer (about 240 KWh) assuming energy rates around $0.10 per KWh. I have attached the QDI study and a presentation from Verdiem for your review. Some of the sites I found including www.1E.com suggest savings closer to $35 per year per PC and even others are closer to $50 per year. I would assume the lower savings rates when determining whether or not the effort to implement these changes is cost effective.

If these approximate savings are significant enough for your business, then further research should be conducted to see if even more savings can be realized. It may not be necessary to install a 3rd party power management application for your location. The savings from implementing and spot checking such a power management policy may provide enough savings.