Report From 1E and the Alliance to Save Energy Finds That Organizations Waste Billions of Dollars Running Idle Computers
released today by software company 1E and the Alliance to Save Energy, nearly
half of US workers who use a PC at their job do not typically shut down at
night[1]. The 2009 PC Energy Report, which examines workplace PC power
consumption in the US, UK and
billion
PCs are expected to emit approximately 20 million tons of carbon dioxide
emissions, roughly the equivalent impact of 4 million cars.
1E and the Alliance to Save Energy commissioned Harris Interactive(R) to
conduct the survey to raise awareness of a pervasive and damaging energy
problem that can be quickly alleviated by simple, non-intrusive measures.
“Employers today have a golden opportunity to demonstrate their
environmental and financial leadership by taking a few simple, energy-saving
measures, like setting up processes to power down PCs,” said
chief executive officer, 1E. “A computer uses energy even when it appears to
be idle. Shutting down PCs when not in use will help businesses to
significantly reduce costs while preventing tons of CO2 from being emitted
into our atmosphere.”
Green IT Practices Save Green
According to Gartner, every year the information and telecommunications
technology industry generates 2% of the world’s carbon emissions – the same
as a year’s worth of air traffic. Moreover, PCs and monitors account for 39%
of these emissions, equivalent to the emissions of approximately 46 million
cars.
“When examined individually, PCs may not appear to be the biggest energy
hog in the IT environment, but when considering the sheer volume of PCs in
the world – Gartner estimates more than 1 billion – the energy and carbon
implications are staggering,” added Mr. Karayi.
In fact, worldwide PC shut-down for just one night would save enough
energy to light
more than 30 years.
Government and utility companies alike have recognized the benefits of
shutting down PCs when not in use. In fact, in the US, all federal agencies
are required to activate power management settings.
enacted legislation that requires a power management plan to power down state
agency PCs. Select utility companies around the nation offer rebates as
incentives for organizations that use power management software.
An examination of user behavior
Almost half of the employees in each country surveyed[2] (49% in the US,
48% in the UK and 43% in
reasons:
- "it takes too long"
- "I forget"
- "to enable overnight software updates from the main server"
- "it's company or IT policy to leave it on"
- "I access my PC remotely"
In terms of national characteristics, the report found that US employees
were quite practical in their reasoning for powering down: 21 percent of
those who ever power down do so for the proper functioning of their PC. UK
employees were the most idealistic in their responses, with 27 percent saying
they power down PCs to help the environment. German employees were most
conscious about saving the employer’s money, with 18 percent citing their
company’s electricity bill as a major factor for powering down.
The survey also found that most employed adults who use a PC at work
believe that their companies should be doing more to reduce their power
consumption (63 percent in the US, 67 percent in the UK and 58 percent in
companies should be doing much more to reduce power consumption in the
workplace (30 percent in the UK, 24 percent in the US and 22 percent in
Savings for business
Powering down a fleet of PCs can reduce a machine’s energy use by 80
percent, allowing companies to save more than
“Powering down inactive PCs can provide a simple yet effective way for
businesses to reduce overhead costs and environmental impact,” said
Callahan
doing what’s good for the environment is good for business. The economic
crisis and volatile energy prices make it even more imperative for businesses
to save money by saving energy.”
A copy of the full 2009 PC Energy Report, which includes real-world PC
energy savings from Dell, AT&T and the U.K. government, can be downloaded at
http://www.1E.com. The report is based on data resulting from two surveys
conducted by leading market research firm Harris Interactive(R) on behalf of
1E and the Alliance to Save Energy.
About the Survey
The survey was conducted online within
UK by Harris Interactive on behalf of 1E and the Alliance Save Energy. In the
US, a survey was conducted between
18+, of whom 1,258 are employed and a follow-up survey was conducted between
adults 18+, of whom 1,432 are employed. In the UK, it was conducted between
This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no
estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. A full
methodology, including weighting variables, is available.
About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is a global leader in custom market research. With a
long and rich history in multimodal research that is powered by our science
and technology, we assist clients in achieving business results. Harris
Interactive serves clients globally through our North American, European and
Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms. For more
information, please visit http://www.harrisinteractive.com.
About 1E
1E is a global Windows Management software and services company. Our
expertise in providing leading-edge automation solutions, which reduce
complexity, management costs and power consumption, has earned us the trust
and confidence of over 12 million users across more than 1,000 businesses in
42 countries worldwide. Customers include Allstate Insurance, Blue Cross,
British Airways, Dell Inc, HSBC, ING Investment Management, Marks & Spencer,
Microsoft, Nestle,
behalf of the Pentagon, Verizon Wireless. Please visit http://www.1e.com
About Alliance to Save Energy
The Alliance to Save Energy is a coalition of prominent business,
government, environmental, and consumer leaders who promote the efficient and
clean use of energy worldwide to benefit consumers, the environment, economy,
and national security. More information is available at http://www.ase.org.
[1] 1E/Alliance to Save Energy survey conducted by Harris Interactive(R)
in
[2] 1E/Alliance to Save Energy survey conducted by Harris Interactive(R)
in
SOURCE 1E