You wouldn’t leave your television on all day while you are at the office, and yet, across the country, millions of work PCs are left on all night — wasting energy, costing owners millions in utility costs and contributing to global climate change.
No company likes to waste money. On the surface, the financial impact of 24-hour computer power consumption may seem insignificant compared to traditional concerns such as payroll, supply and rent — but the waste is actually substantial.
• Energy costs — typically 10% of the corporate technology budget — could rise to as much as 50% in the next few years.
• Power management software can reduce a PC’s power consumption by 80%, allowing companies to save between $25-$75 per desktop PC. Beyond automated “shut down,” power savings are derived during the day by automating monitor shut-down after a period of inactivity.
• At 8.68 cents per kWh, a typical PC left on overnight wastes $55.13 a year. That’s more than $165,000 for a 10,000-PC enterprise that leaves 60% of its machines on, and $1.72 billion for the 60% of work computers that may be running across the country each night unnecessarily.
• Turning off PCs, with their heat-intensive power supplies, will also reduce the load on air conditioning equipment, leading to even more energy savings.
Of course, there is no such thing as a “typical” company. Utility rates, work hours, equipment types, makes and models and use patterns all vary from one workplace to another.
Photo by MSDesigns.
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