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Personal computers suck up enormous amounts of electricity—often when they aren’t even being used. Manufacturers are tackling the problem.

Some of the biggest energy hogs in a company sit in front of workers everyday: their PCs.

For a company that has 10,000 personal-computer desktops, for example, just leaving most of them turned on all night can cost more than $165,000 a year in electricity bills, while spewing more than 1,380 tons of carbon dioxide into the air per year, estimates a 2007 report by the Alliance to Save Energy, an advocacy group in Washington, D.C.

That’s roughly the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that come from driving a car for two months. In all, the group estimates upwards of $1.7 billion is being wasted in the U.S. with about 15 million tons of carbon emitted by desktops left on overnight.

As a result, corporate IT managers are clamoring for ways to rein in their PC energy expenses. And technology manufacturers are responding. For instance, Array Networks Inc. last November announced that its DesktopDirect program would let people remotely access their desktop even when it is turned off. Dell Inc. says the displays on its laptop computers use 43% less energy after older cathode screens have been swapped out with more efficient LED ones. And Hewlett-Packard Co. says its has saved 41% energy consumption on its lineup of PCs, compared with 2005 models, because of fewer components and other factors. Many other technology manufacturers are going green, as well.

“In the end, this all adds up to smart business,” says Satjiv Chahil, senior vice president of personal systems world-wide marketing for H-P, which is based in Palo Alto, Calif.

Returns on Investment

Guidance Solutions Inc., an e-commerce developer, says its desktop energy consumption has stayed roughly the same despite increasing the work force to 50 from 30 employees since 2008 because it switched to more efficient machines. The company’s 200 desktops and laptops from H-P use about 40% less power than earlier models. “It’s a return on the investment of being green,” says Jon Provisor, chief technology officer and co-owner of the Marina del Rey, Calif., firm.

“It is definitely a good by-product,” Mr. Bharadwaj says.

The move to greener PCs has picked up steam over the past five years, following mounting pressure from shareholders and environmental groups to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions that most scientists believe cause global warming. The PC makers have also faced heat for not doing enough to keep obsolete models out of the scrap heap. Many have since launched computer take-back programs, and have also switched to more recyclable materials.

“I think what motivates PC companies to be green is two things: One, the customers are asking for it. And the other big driver is pure competition. As we enter the 21st century low-carbon economy, they are going to have to do it,” says Andrea Moffat, senior director of programs at Ceres, a Boston-based network of investors, environmental groups and others interested in pushing corporations to be greener.

Three of the more active manufacturers in green PCs have been Dell, H-P and Apple Inc.

H-P, which has long operated an environmental program, ramped up its efforts on PCs in 2005 after Mark Hurd took over as chief executive and asked, “What more can we do?,” Mr. Chahil says. H-P redesigned its entire PC product line in 12 months, beginning in 2006, to include green features such as more efficient power supplies and the ability to go into power-saving sleep mode faster.

More recently, H-P in 2008 launched an EliteBook line of laptops that lets the user access email, calendars and contacts without having to power up the computer. The laptops use a technology called QuickLook, a separate, miniature operating system that doesn’t require booting up the machine’s main OS. QuickLook is also a feature on H-P’s ProBook line of laptops.

Earlier this year, the company began shipping some consumer laptops featuring batteries that can hold a charge for as long as three years. That saves energy because they don’t have to be recharged as much, H-P officials say.

Meanwhile, Dell over the past few years has revamped its OptiPlex desktop and Latitude laptop lines to include energy-saving features. Last year, the Round Rock, Texas, company introduced Latitude models that also can access email and Internet sites without booting up the computer; these models also have batteries that last twice as long as those of the previous model—six hours instead of three. One of the biggest savings, Dell officials say, has come from the shift to LED screens on laptops.

Among the biggest beneficiaries of the energy savings: Dell itself. The company more than a year ago installed night shut-off software in 50,000 desktops and notebooks across a number of its operations world-wide, achieving an estimated $1.8 million in power savings annually. “It’s eating your own dog food, if you will, but we practice a lot of this,” says David Lear, Dell’s director of environmental affairs.

Remote Control

Software makers are also stepping up to address the problem of PC energy. Verdiem Corp.’s Surveyor program, for example, lets IT managers remotely adjust energy use of computers—such as being able to shut them off when not in use. The Seattle company says its customers have saved more than $30 million in energy costs since it began offering the service about three years ago.

One customer, Cox Communications Inc., says it has seen a 40% drop in energy consumption in 15,000 desktops since the company began deploying Surveyor last April. The Atlanta cable firm, a unit of Cox Enterprises Inc., uses Surveyor to remotely turn on desktops at night when they need software updates, and then turn them back off when the download is complete, says Peter West, vice president of IT and operational development. Mr. West says the efficiency gains add to those the company has achieved by using energy-saving Dell computers.

“This really does just take it up a notch,” Mr. West says.

–Mr. Carlton is a staff reporter in the San Francisco bureau of The Wall Street Journal. He can be reached at jim.carlton@wsj.com.

Global survey reveals the majority of businesses are missing out on the potential cost savings from PC estate power management technologies and policies

Survey results released today have revealed a reluctance to implement power management technologies and policies and a lack of awareness of their potential cost and power-saving benefits.

Only 10 percent of companies are using desktop power management, according to the worldwide survey of over 500 IT professionals carried out by systems management appliance vendor, KACE.

The survey respondents cited the availability of computers for systems administration tasks such as patching as the number one reason for not deploying desktop power management (43 percent). But, at the same time, it emerged that 34 percent felt users did not want their machines powered down automatically.

Despite this perception on the part of both IT staff and end-users not to leave responsibility for managing the power consumed by PC and laptop estates to automated systems, just over 20 percent relied on staff to implement power management policies manually.

“I was surprised by the findings of the survey,” Jim Docherty, KACE managing director of Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) told eWEEK Europe. “They reveal a lack of education and awareness of the potential savings available by being smarter about the way businesses are powering their PC and laptop estates, especially when you think about each PC system being left on to the standby light on your TV. Multiply that by the eight hours a day they are left on, unused and then apply it to the thousands of PCs a company can run, and you get an idea of the order of magnitude of power savings we’re talking about.”

Almost half of the survey respondents were not aware of the cost savings that could be achieved (48 percent) and, perhaps most surprisingly, this lack of awareness was highest among frontline IT staff (58 percent), as opposed to senior decision makers.

Docherty suggested the lack of awareness stemmed from misconceptions about the capabilities of PC power management tools. “The message that came through from the survey was that IT thought these tools would prevent them from carrying out [out-of-hours] maintenance like asset management or patching, but that’s not the case with our technology,” he said.

“You can remotely wake up a PC to do maintenance on it and power it down again, just as you would switch off the lights in an office. When the cleaner comes in after hours they switch on the lights to clean and simply switch them off again when they’re done.”

And he added that traditionally, the focus on IT power savings has centred on the data centre, “because the majority of power used in cooling and running key systems is spent there”. But the survey revealed those respondents that had implemented desktop power management reported higher cost and power savings than had been expected.

“I’m sure there is wider capacity for power management tools built into systems management tools already being used to be turned on,” he added. “It’s just not being exploited.”

Join this exclusive webinar featuring guest speaker Forrester Research, Inc. Analyst and industry expert, Doug Washburn, as he describes the potential impact of PC power management on your company’s bottom line!

Tuesday, September 22, 2009
1:00PM EDT/10:00AM PDT

Over 1,000 Faronics customers have dramatically reduced operating costs by eliminating up to 70% of their computer energy consumption. These savings equate to up to $75,000 per year for every 1,000 computers.

By deploying PC Power Management, ADT UK is on track to save 434,000 kWh in a year.

New Star Energy Services aims to increase implementation of PC Power Management and expand deployment of energy-efficient PCs and servers. The FAQ tool is an additional resource for New Star Energy Services’ clients and the IT community at large. Queries range from general best practice recommendations to the estimated cost savings of a centralized power management policy.

“Companies frequently come to us with questions about PC Power Management best practices, compelled by rising electricity prices and a growing concern for the impact energy consumption has on the environment,” says New Star Energy Services’ Founder and President Jason Smithwick. “We decided to develop an FAQ tool that alleviates confusion on the topic and points people to resources that can further answer their questions about power management software selection, rebates and ROI calculators, for example.”

Cost savings as a result of PC Power Management can be significant. According to a March 2009 Gartner report, businesses that implement PC Power Management can expect a positive ROI within 18 months.

“Our new FAQ tool has opened eyes. Many companies hadn’t realized that bottom-line cost savings were so close at hand,” says Peter Taylor, New Star Energy Services’ Vice President of Consulting Services.

As the New Star Energy Services FAQ tool reveals, ENERGY STAR estimates electricity savings per PC are roughly 50% or $25-75 per year, based on a reduction of approximately 200 KWH per computer per year. Cost savings are driven by dropping computers into a reduced power state for an average of 15 hours a day, without impacting business readiness or compromising automated IT maintenance processes.

The FAQ tool also encourages interested parties to take advantage of New Star Energy Services’ free vendor evaluation trials. Through its IT Power Management division, New Star Energy Services has partnered with Faronics and Sentilla and is now a reseller of Faronics Power Save and Sentilla Energy Manager for Data Centers.

For the complete FAQs, visit http://www.newstarenergyservices.com/pc-power-management-faqs/

For more information regarding the EPA ENERGY STAR Program, IT Power Management software and best practices, NYSERDA (New York State) Energy Saving Rebates and PC Power Management ROI Calculators, visit www.newstarenergyservices.com.

About New Star Energy Services
Based in New York City, New Star Energy Services provides a full range of products and services related to energy management. New Star Energy Services works with businesses to reduce wasteful spending and help secure federal or state funding for energy-efficient projects. New Star Energy Services has three core specialties: IT Power Management Software and Best Practices, NYSERDA (New York State) Energy Saving Rebates, and Demand Response Programs.

Through its IT Power Management division, New Star Energy Services has partnered with Faronics and Sentilla and is now a reseller of Faronics Power Save and Sentilla Energy Manager for Data Centers. The company emphasizes improved monitoring and reporting to help IT departments jump-start and sustain savings. According to a March 2009 Gartner report, businesses that implement PC Power Management can expect a positive ROI within 18 months.

New Star Energy Services is an official partner of the EPA Energy Star Program and a member of the Climate Savers Computing Initiative. New Star Energy Services aims to increase implementation of power management and expand deployment of energy-efficient PCs and servers.

For more information about New Star Energy Services, please contact:
info (at) newstarenergyservices (dot) com or visit www.newstarenergyservices.com.

New York, NY (PRWEB) June 11, 2009 — The global information and communications technology industry accounts for approximately 2 percent of the world’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions–equivalent to the output of the aviation industry (Source: Gartner Group, March 2009.)

What if you could do the right thing for the environment and save a lot of money at the same time? You can! Thanks to Faronics’ Power Save computer energy management software you can lower your PC and Mac energy waste with a four month return on investment.

Faronics Power Save is the world’s most intelligent computer energy conservation solution. Easy to manage, non-disruptive, and able to prove its value through detailed energy savings reports, Faronics Power Save reduces workstations energy costs without impacting user productivity or IT processes.

“New Star Energy Services is excited to be a Faronics partner and reseller,” said Jason Smithwick, President and Founder of New Star Energy Services. “We think Faronics Power Save is the best and most innovative Desktop Power Management solution in the marketplace, and we’re pleased to be able to offer energy-saving and cost-saving solutions like this to our clients.”

Faronics and New Star Energy Services are co-sponsoring a free 45-minute webinar on PC Power Management, to be held Tuesday, June 23, 2009 at 2 PM Eastern. To register for the webinar, please click here.

This webinar will familiarize attendees with Faronics’ product offerings and showcase the real business impact of intelligent stewardship and management of IT energy requirements. To determine your own potential cost savings, check out Forrester Research’s Green IT Calculator.

ABOUT NEW STAR ENERGY SERVICES

Based in New York City, New Star Energy Services provides a full range of products and services related to energy management. We work with businesses to reduce wasteful spending and help secure federal or state funding for energy-efficient projects. New Star Energy Services has three core specialties: IT Power Management Software and Best Practices, NYSERDA (New York State) Energy Saving Rebates, and Demand Response Programs.

Through our IT Power Management division, New Star Energy Services has partnered with Faronics and Sentilla and is now a reseller of Faronics Power Save and Sentilla Energy Manager for Data Centers. We emphasize improved monitoring and reporting to help your IT department jump-start, then sustain, the savings. According to a March 2009 Gartner report, businesses that implement PC Power Management can expect a positive ROI within 18 months.

New Star Energy Services is an official partner of the EPA Energy Star Program and a member of the Climate Savers Computing Initiative. As such, New Star Energy Services aims to increase implementation of power management and expand deployment of energy-efficient PCs and servers.

For more information about New Star Energy Services, please contact us at info (at) newstarenergyservices (dot) com or visit www.newstarenergyservices.com.

ABOUT FARONICS

Faronics’ solutions help organizations increase the productivity of existing IT investments and lower IT operating costs. In today’s economic climate of increasingly tightened budgets, continuous market pressure, and more work to do than time available, this is critical. With a well-established record of helping organizations manage, simplify, and secure their IT infrastructure, Faronics makes it possible to do more with less by maximizing the value of existing technology.

Incorporated in 1996, Faronics has an office in the USA and Canada, as well as a global network of channel partners. Our solutions are deployed in over 150 countries worldwide, and are helping more than 30,000 customers.

June 23, 2009 – Webinar – 2pm EST

Click Here to Register

Every organization is concerned with their financial health, which is why you should take advantage of this unique opportunity to save $25,000 – $70,000 per year for every 1,000 computers you own.

We would like to invite you to a free webinar on Faronics Power Save. Easy to manage, non-disruptive, and able to prove its value through detailed energy savings reports, Faronics Power Save will reduce your energy expenditures immediately with a rapid return on investment. The average duration of this webinar is 45 minutes.

By simply rolling out Faronics Power Save within your organization you will achieve:

• Savings of $25-$70 per workstation per year in energy costs
• Reduced CO2 emissions of up to 1/2 ton per workstation per year

The business case for Power Save is simple—your organization can deploy this computer energy saving solution that provides proven financial and environmental savings dividends year after year.

We encourage you to register today for this webinar. Contact us if you have any questions or if you would like to read a PC Power Management Whitepaper.

By Patrick Thibodeau, Computerworld, 04/29/09

Most IT professionals, according to a survey conducted by Forrester Research Inc., aren’t managing PC power use within their organizations, even as many companies look to cut costs because of the economic recession. By not doing so, they may be passing up big savings, especially in regions with high energy costs.

Forrester surveyed 91 IT managers in midsize and large companies about their PC power management practices. The consulting firm, which issued a report about the survey to its clients this month, found that only 13% of the respondents had implemented wide-scale power management programs, while another 18% had set up programs but not for all of their PCs.

The top reason cited for the low deployment rate was IT managers not being responsible for technology energy costs, said Doug Washburn, the Forrester analyst who conducted the survey.

The survey results aren’t surprising: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that no more than 10% of all PCs in use within organizations have their power management capabilities turned on.

One reason for that may be skepticism about how much money can be saved per PC. Another may be the continued use of Windows XP. Windows Vista gives administrators the ability to natively manage power settings on PCs over a network, but XP does not, although there are third-party tools available for that, including a free one from the EPA called EZ GPO.

In addition, managing electricity usage typically falls under the duties of facilities managers such as Forrest Miller, director of support services at the Lake Washington School District in Redmond, Wash. Among other things, he is responsible for the power utilization of about 11,500 PCs.

For the past several years, Miller has been using software from Seattle-based Verdiem Corp. to manage the school district’s PC power consumption. The tool is set to put PCs into sleep mode after 20 minutes of inactivity, said Miller, whose IT department administers the software for him.

The Verdiem software costs Lake Washington US$25,000 annually under a three-year agreement. Miller said that the application has helped the district reduce power consumption by about 3.66 million kilowatt hours per year, for an annual savings of about $256,000, based on current electricity rates.

Miller said he views power management as an easy way for users to have a major impact on energy costs with minimal or no impact on work processes. He added that he has yet to hear any complaints from employees about the program. “It would be interesting to me to know why people wouldn’t do this,” he said of PC power management in general.

The dollars savings may vary significantly by region, though. For instance, Washington state has relatively low power costs, in the range of 5 to 7 cents per kWh. Contrast that with Northeast states such as Connecticut, where rates range from 14.25 cents to nearly 20 cents per kWh, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

The EPA estimates cost savings of $25 to $75 per PC annually if system standby or hibernation features are activated on machines.

Washburn said there are other reasons why PC power management tools aren’t being deployed more widely. That includes concerns about possible end-user backlash, uncertainties about the best approach and policies to put in place, and an inability to predict financial savings and make a business case for a program if companies haven’t measured their existing power consumption levels.

But only 9% of the IT managers surveyed by Forrester said they had no interest at all in PC power management, while 48% said they were considering the idea of setting up a program. Washburn thinks that change is afoot. Even if IT managers don’t own the energy budget at their companies, “there is much more pressure to understand energy consumption,” he said.

If you’re reading this there’s a pretty good chance you’re doing it on a computer screen. That screen — and everything it takes to make it work — uses energy. But you already know that, right? What you might not know is that the average desktop PC wastes half of the energy it consumes.

Yes: Half the energy it consumes is wasted.

While you probably can’t go back and redesign your computer right now to increase its energy efficiency, there is something you can do this Earth Day to greatly decrease the power it uses: set power management.

New Star Energy Services is an active affiliate member of a nonprofit called Climate Savers Computing Initiative, a group dedicated to increasing implementation of power management and expanding deployment of energy-efficient PCs and servers.

If you’re reading this at work then the computer you’re using has either already had its power management settings engaged or we’re in the process of making those changes network-wide. That is part of what we committed to when we joined Climate Savers Computing. It saves energy, it saves money, and it helps us reduce our carbon footprint — all of which are important to meeting our business and environmental goals.

So, you don’t have to worry about your work computer, but you probably have a computer or two at home that could use a power management tweak and you’ll be on the road to saving more than 600 KWh of electricity and up to $75 a year in energy costs. That equates to nearly half a ton of CO2 emissions. Not bad for a few minutes’ work, huh?

Thanks for getting involved in this small but powerful step – and while you’re gathered around the water cooler this Earth Day make sure you let others know how easy it is for them to make a difference, too.