Issue!28•September#28,#2011# - Environment + Energy Leader...1. HP-Compaq Compaq 4000 Pro Small...

In this report: Energy-Efficient Computers & IT Devices

Issue 28 • September 28, 2011

• Latest Developments

• Adoption by Business

• Products, Software & Certifications

• Q&As with Penn State, Canon USA

EL Insights | © 2011 Environmental Leader LLC. Single license EL PRO subscription can be used by one person. For multiple users, purchase an enterprise license by emailing [email protected] for information.

EL Insights: Energy-Efficient Computers & IT Devices

IT Device Efficiency at a Glance

IT devices such as computers, monitors, printers and cell phones are a major source of electricity consumption for most companies. The drain of these devices can be addressed in a number of ways: by removing redundant equipment; by replacing older devices with newer, more efficient products; by installing software and systems to monitor energy consumption and control devices’ on-off times; by educating and training staff on means of controlling electricity consumption; and more.

This report will discuss how companies can improve the efficiency of these IT devices. Means of improving data center efficiency are addressed in EL Insights issue 6 (August 15, 2010).

Methods/Technologies

Manual control/staff training: One of the most obvious ways companies can save money on IT is to ensure that computers are not left on when not in use. According to the EPA, leaving a computer on around the clock can also cause dust build-up in the machine, making it vulnerable to power surges.

Many computers today also include power management features. When the device is left on but unused for a certain length of time, these features will put the screen and CPU into less energy-intensive modes. These features should be enabled.


Screen savers should be turned off. Contrary to popular belief, they do not save energy but can actually waste energy by keeping the computer’s central processing unit (CPU) from sleeping when it is not in use. 1

Mobile computing: Moving staff to more mobile computing devices not only frees them to work from anywhere (with the potential of reducing emissions associated with commuting), but it can also reduce IT-related energy consumption. Notebook computers consume 25 to 35 watts less power than desktop computers, according to Intel. In a 2009 white paper, Building a Long-Term Strategy for IT Sustainability (http://communities.intel.com/docs/DOC-3072) the company reported that 83 percent of its employees were using notebooks as their primary business device.2

Purchasing: Replacing older, less efficient devices has been a core strategy for businesses seeking to reduce their IT-related consumption and emissions. Several certifications and standards can help companies to determine the most efficient choice for their needs (discussed under Certifications, below).

Software

A variety of software is on the market to help companies control the energy consumption of their IT devices. These include:

Cisco EnergyWise: This platform allows companies to use their IP network to manage the energy consumption of network-connected devices. Users can add new “power save plus” modes to IP phones and expand management to high-power devices such as virtual desktops and compact switches.

1E Nightwatchman: This software allows enables businesses to remotely and centrally manage their organizations’ personal computer systems. Companies can use it to power down computers remotely and automatically overnight and at weekends.

1 http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_product.showProductGroup&pgw_code=CO

2 http://communities.intel.com/docs/DOC-3072


IBM Tivoli Endpoint Manager: Evolved from software called BigFix, TEM combines IT sustainability and security management. It includes a power setting management system for Windows and Mac, as well as asset discovery and inventory features.

JouleX Energy Manager: This software for PCs allows companies to baseline, monitor, analyze and control the energy consumed by all personal computing devices across the enterprise, including Windows and Linux PCs and laptops, Macintosh, and thin clients, as well as monitors. JEM for Distributed Office offers all the same functions, and also includes support for printers, copiers, servers, access points, network switches and VoIP phones.

Verdiem: The company’s Surveyor allows power management settings for networked PCs to be administered centrally. The latest version of the software, Surveyor 5.5 includes support for Mac desktops and laptops, and improved integration with Windows 7 power management capabilities, Verdiem says.

UniFLOW: This printing software, from Canon, provides companies with control over their printer and multi-function printer (MFP) fleet, with the ability to track print and copy costs, and route jobs from expensive “local” printers to inexpensive MFPs.

Microsoft: The software giant has developed new power management tools that IT administrators can use to view, manage, and reduce energy consumption as part of Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, and the latest R3 beta release of Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager. The company also created a power savings calculator as part of the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit, a free resource for customers. The calculator provides a report of potential savings from adopting energy-efficient- computing technologies.

Metrics and Other Terms to Know

Efficiency: When expressed as a percentage, the ratio between the useful output of a device and the energy input.


Power factor: In an electric power system, this is the ratio of the real power flowing to the electric load, compared to the apparent power in the circuit. A good way to visualize it is to imagine a horse tied to a railroad car. The horse must walk alongside the track rather than directly in front of the car, and therefore ends up pulling at an angle to the car’s direction of travel. Because the car will not move sideways, part of the horse’s effort is wasted.3

TEC: Typical annual energy consumption. A metric used by Energy Star, measuring the typical annual energy use in kilowatt-hours, using measurements of average operational mode power levels scaled by an assumed typical usage model.

PSU: Power supply unit.

Wake-on-LAN: Also called remote wake-up, this software feature allows a computer to be turned on by its network. This allows IT departments to perform software upgrades and other tasks on machines after the end of the work day.

Certifications

Energy Star: This eco-label system is run by the Department of Energy and the EPA, and covers a variety of electrically powered products. As of September 16, there were 385 Energy Star-qualified desktop computers; 173 integrated computers; 2,011 notebooks and tablets; 36 workstations4; 2,040 monitors5; and 855 printers.6

3 http://www1.eere.energy.gov/industry/bestpractices/pdfs/mc60405.pdf

4http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_product.showSearchForm&pgw_code=CO&pd_code=CMP

5http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_product.showSearchForm&pgw_code=MO&pd_code=MON&brand_code=&pat_P276=&pat_P285=&pd_model_number=&resultsPerPage=50&sortParameter=watts_in_on


6http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_product.showSearchForm&pgw_code=PS&pd_code=IEF percent2CIEP percent2CIES

Top 20 Energy Star-Certified Desktop Computers Most Efficient by TEC

Brand Model Name/

Model Number

TEC

A

TEC

B

TEC

C

TEC

D

1. HP-Compaq Compaq 4000 Pro Small Form Factor Desktop PC ENERGY STAR/4000 SFF

102.1 158 163.6 168.4

2. Acer Veriton X491G/Veriton X491G

103.2 147.7 154.7 160.5

3. eMachines EL1850G/EL1850G 103.6 4. ASUS CS6110/CS6110 103.8 5. CTL Meridian/GC14 104.1 6. Lanix Titan HX 4220E/4220E 104.4 7. eMachines EL1331G/EL1331G 104.7 8. NCS Gemini/A390 105.1 9. Acer Veriton L4610G/Veriton

L4610G 105.3

10. CIARA Discovery/DQ67SW 105.4 11. Ace Ace Vision 8H/VS8H 105.5 12. Ace Ace Vision 8HQ

Series/VS8HQi 105.5

13. CIARA Enterprise/DQ67SW 106.9 14. Transource Mirage/800HS 108.5 133.7 15. Transource Mirage/800QS 108.8 128.6 16. NCS Gemini/A389 108.9 17. NCS Gemini/CM4-A391 109.1 18. Acer ET1352G/ET1352G 109.3 19. MSI DE220/MS-6668-05S 109.8 20. Gateway DS70/DS70 109.9 142.5 150.2

Source: EnergyStar.gov, accessed 09/18/11


Under the system, computers must:

• Use energy efficient power supply. • Operate efficiently in multiple modes of operation (Off, Sleep, and Idle). • Include power management features, ship with features enabled, and provide user education about

these features.

The latest Energy Star specification, which took effect in July 2009, requires power supplies to be at least 85 percent efficient at 50 percent of rated output, and 82 percent efficient at both 20 percent and 100 percent of rated output. The certification also specifies different system TECs, depending on whether the computer is a desktop or a notebook, and on its feature set (discrete graphics, number of cores, and memory). These features determine the TEC categories referred to in the chart, Top 20 Energy Star-Certified Desktop Computers. More information on the category criteria is available on the Energy Star website (http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/prod_development/revisions/downloads/computer/Version5.0_Computer_Spec.pdf).7

Energy Star requires that products with internal power supplies have a power factor greater than 0.9 at 100 percent of rated output, for power supplies with an output greater than or equal to 75 watts of output power.

The power management requirements are for monitor sleep mode to start within 15 minutes of user inactivity and system sleep mode within 30 minutes, and Wake-On-LAN and Wake Management features

7http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/prod_development/revisions/downloads/computer/Version5.0_Computer_Spec.pdf


are required for some systems. The agencies also say that a well-designed Energy Star-qualified computer will not lose its network connection, which could lead to a loss of data, while in the low-power or sleep mode.

For monitors, Energy Star specifies a maximum allowable power consumption in the computer’s on-mode, expressed in watts. This is based on the monitor’s screen size and number of megapixels. Maximum consumption in sleep mode is 2 watts, and in off mode is 1 watt. However, starting October 1, all monitor sizes and resolutions will have to meet an as-yet undetermined standard for on mode, with 1 watt the new standard for both sleep and off modes.

The first two charts in this report show the top 20 best-performing laptop and desktop computers, as determined by Energy Star

standards. Apple, Sony and Toshiba account for most laptops in the top 20, while the desktop ranking is a more diverse list.

Top 20 Energy Star-Certified Laptop Computers Most Efficient by TEC, September 2011

Most Efficient by TEC

Brand Model Name/

Model Number TEC

1. Apple 11-inch MacBook Air/MC506 10.9 1. Apple 11-inch MacBook Air/Z0JK 10.9 3. Sony VPCP112KX/B/VPCP112KX/B 11.8 3. Sony VPCP113KX/B/VPCP113KX/B 11.8 3. Sony VPCP116KX/B/VPCP116KX/B 11.8 3. Sony VPCP11SKX/BI/VPCP11SKX/BI 11.8 3. Sony VPCP118KX/B/VPCP118KX/B 11.8 8. Apple 13-inch MacBook Air/MC504 12.6 9. Apple MacBook, 2.4GHz/MC516 13.2 10. Acer PAV01/Aspire One 533 series 13.5 10. Apple MacBook, 2.4GHz/Z0JQ 13.5 12. Apple 13-inch MacBook Air/Z0JH 13.7 13. MSI WindPad 100W/MS-N0A2 14.5 14. eMachines NAV51/eM350 series 15 15. Gateway PAV80/LT25 series 15.4 15. Packard Bell PAV80/dot SE series 15.4 15. Toshiba Satellite E300/E305/PSE30U 15.4 18. Toshiba Satellite C650/Satellite C650 PSC2EA 15.46 18. Toshiba Satellite C650/Satellite C650 PSC2EC 15.46 18. Toshiba Satellite C650/Satellite C650 PSC2EE 15.46

Source: EnergyStar.gov, accessed 09/18/11


EPEAT: This program, run by the non-profit Zero Waste Alliance, describes itself as the “definitive global registry for greener electronics.” The EPEAT standard was developed by the alliance, electronics manufacturers, institutional purchasers, environmental groups and government officials under an EPA grant.

EPEAT-registered electronic products meet 23 environmental criteria. There are also 28 optional criteria which manufacturers may choose to meet, for a total of 51 criteria in eight categories. For energy efficiency, the only requirement is that the product meet Energy Star standards. The other categories are:

• Reduction/elimination of environmentally sensitive materials • Materials selection • Design for end of life • Product longevity/life-cycle extension • End of life management • Corporate performance • Packaging

All of the criteria used in EPEAT are based on ANSI-approved public standards, and on IEEE 1680 and 1680.1 standards.

The EPEAT registry has more than 3,200 electronic products and 45 participating manufacturers across 41 countries, with 34 of the manufacturers having products registered in the U.S.

Federal agencies are required to buy 95 percent or higher EPEAT registered products, and a number of states also require EPEAT compliance.

In September, EPEAT said that its registered products sold in 2009 will save more than 10 billion kWh of electricity, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by more than 2 million metric tons and avoid 44


million metric tons of air emissions (including GHG emissions) and more than 93,000 metric tons of water pollutant emissions. (More on EPEAT sales under Worldwide and U.S. Market.)

Climate Savers Computing Initiative: This organization aims to improve energy efficiency of PCs and servers and to encourage the use of power management tools. The board of directors includes members from major IT companies, including Cisco, Intel, Microsoft and Google, along with a representative from the World Wildlife Fund.

The initiative’s requirements starts with the current Energy Star specification for desktops, laptops , workstation computers and monitors, and gradually increases the efficiency requirements over time. There are additional requirements for other levels of the CSCI standard. For systems with multi -output power supplies, which typically include PCs, thin clients, and workstations, these are:

• Climate Savers Computing Bronze: Energy Star 5.0 qualified. • Climate Savers Computing Silver: Energy Star 5.0 qualified plus an 88 percent minimum efficiency

rating for the PSU at 50 percent of rated output (and 85 percent minimum efficiency at 20 percent and 100 percent of rated output).


• Climate Savers Computing Gold: Energy Star 5.0 qualified plus a 90 percent minimum efficiency rating for the PSU at 50 percent of rated output (and 87 percent minimum efficiency at 20 percent and 100 percent of rated output).

Top North American Desktops Under Climate Savers Certification September 2011

Product Name Manufacturer

ThinkCentre M90p SFF Lenovo ThinkCentre M90 uSFF Lenovo ThinkCentre M90 Tower Lenovo ThinkCentre M90p Tower Lenovo ThinkCentre M90 SFF Lenovo ThinkCentre M90p uSFF Lenovo ThinkCentre M75e Tower Lenovo ThinkCentre M90z Lenovo ThinkCentre M75e SFF Lenovo ThinkCentre M70e Tower Lenovo ThinkCentre M70e SFF Lenovo ThinkCentre M58p Eco uSFF Lenovo ThinkCentre M58p SFF Lenovo ThinkCentre M58 SFF Lenovo ThinkCentre M58 Eco uSFF Lenovo ThinkStation D20 Lenovo ThinkCentre A70z Lenovo ThinkStation S20 Lenovo HP Z600 Workstation ENERGY STAR HP HP Z400 Workstation ENERGY STAR HP HP xw4600 Workstation ENERGY STAR HP HP Z800 Workstation ENERGY STAR HP ThinkStation S20 Lenovo ThinkStation D20 Lenovo ThinkCentre M58p Tower Lenovo ThinkCentre M58 Tower Lenovo ThinkCentre M58e Tower Lenovo

Source: Climate Savers Computing Product Catalog, accessed 09/18/11


So far, 27 desktops sold in North America meet the bronze level (see chart). They are all made by either Lenovo or HP. No desktops meet the silver or gold level. For laptops, the highest level achieved so far in North America is silver. There are 40 laptops certified at this level, all from Lenovo.

The initiative also asks companies to use advanced power management features such as the low power S3 or sleep mode settings on all PCs and to adopt the Initiative's recommended power management policy, which is for PCs to turn off the display and hard drive after 15 minutes of inactivity, and put the system into sleep mode after 30 minutes of inactivity. The computer wakes up when the mouse or keyboard are touched.

Unlike Energy Star, Climate Savers does not have a product packaging logo, but the organization says it is considering introducing one.

Challenges

Costs and financing: Returns on investment and payback period for IT efficiency projects vary, and it is difficult to determine average costs and returns. But in a CDW survey, the 2010 Energy Efficient IT Report (http://newsroom.cdw.com/features/feature-11-08-10.html), just 17 percent of IT managers said that they believe the cost of energy efficient IT equipment is prohibitive, while 31 percent of IT managers say their organization would pay a premium for energy efficient technology.8

E-waste: When a company buys more efficient computers and monitors, it must figure out how to dispose of the old equipment. This poses a significant environmental issue because electronics typically contain a number of hazardous materials, including lead, mercury and PCBs. Disposal of these materials is restricted in many jurisdictions, most comprehensively by Europe’s Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE). In 2007 over 41 million computers were discarded in the U.S. – with only 18 percent being properly recycled.9

8 http://newsroom.cdw.com/features/feature-11-08-10.html

9 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/04/04/zero-waste-the-next-step-for-data-center-sustainability/


Disposal options include working with a qualified e-waste recycling company or donating equipment to a charitable organization. Earth 911 is an online resource that can help companies find local recycling options.

Latest Developments in IT Efficiency

Worldwide and U.S. market

There does not appear to be any comprehensive data on the use of power management. In its 2010 progress report (http://www.climatesaverscomputing.org/docs/2010-Progress-Report.pdf) CSCI uses

7.22

17.75

26.39

5.18

12.74

18.95

-

5

10

15

20

25

30

-

5

10

15

20

25

30

2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 (projected)

met

ric

tons

CO

2,

in m

illio

ns

kW

h,

in b

illio

ns

IT Energy and Emissions Savings, Total Worldwide Progress, 2007-2010

Total kWh saved per program year, in billions Total metric tons CO2 saved per program year, in millions

Source: Climate Savers Computing Initiative (CSCI) 2010 Progress Report


power management deployment figures ranging from 10 percent (low estimate from EPA) to 18 percent (higher estimate from market analysis) for a combined average of consumer and commercial deployment. It also notes that it is difficult to find solid data on PSU efficiencies, market mix, and electricity consumption.10

The CSCI report (the latest available from the initiative) also gives us an indication of growth in energy-efficient IT. Members of the organization, who have pledged to increase their use of power management and to make increasingly efficient computer purchases, report decreases in consumption and CO2 output from 2007-8 to 2008-9, with further cuts predicted for 2009-10.

Data from EPEAT appears more mixed. Sale of EPEAT-registered notebooks rose from 2007 to 2009, while sales of displays and desktops fell. But the organization says the decline in overall 2009 numbers was linked to a change in reporting and may not necessarily reflect a change in actual sales. It notes that integrated systems were counted as part of the Desktop category for 2006. In ICT Sustainability: The Global Benchmark 2011 (https://www-s.fujitsu.com/global/solutions/sustainability/Fujitsu-ICT-Sustainability-TheGlobalBenchmark2011-Report.html) Fujitsu found a relative lack of maturity in ICT sustainability practices, policies and technologies in 2011, and the overall index has actually declined in the past year, by 2.7 points to 54.3. According to Fujitsu, this indicates that some of the “buzz” has gone from green ICT, and that companies are not giving such projects priority, or the initiatives have begun to come “unstuck.”11 Only 14.2 percent of ICT departments include the cost of ICT power consumption in their budget.

As individuals, organizations’ performance varied widely, with one US wholesaler scoring 97 points out of a possible 100, and the lowest scoring 16.8. A score 80 or above indicates that the company is at best practice or close to it in many areas of ICT sustainability, the report said.

10 http://www.climatesaverscomputing.org/docs/2010-Progress-Report.pdf

11 https://www-s.fujitsu.com/global/solutions/sustainability/Fujitsu-ICT-Sustainability-TheGlobalBenchmark2011-Report.html


Many companies have reached a plateau with green ICT, Fujitsu found. It said that these organizations have nabbed the “low hanging fruit” of initiatives such as PC power management or telecommuting. But, Fujitsu says, “The problem is that the low-hanging fruit have grown back.” It notes that such efforts must be continuing and integrated into core businesses processes.

The part of green ICT that companies do best with is lifecycle, and most organizations are relatively mature when it comes to proper disposal of their IT equipment, Fujitsu found. But few organizations are effective at measuring the effectiveness of their ICT sustainability initiatives, the report found.

Larger organizations tend to do better in green ICT, Fujitsu said. The best performing sector is, not surprisingly, ICT/communications/media, and the lowest is manufacturing. In the country rankings, Canada comes first, followed by the U.K., U.S., Australia, New Zealand and India.


12.1

35.9

19.5

7.9 8.9

24.2

31.7

40.3

15.6

48.7

38.6

30.6

n/a 1.2 1.1 1.6

2006 2007 2008 2009

Desktops Notebooks Displays Integrated Systems

Source: EPEAT, Environmental Benefits of 2009 EPEAT Purchasing

Year-to-Year EPEAT Worldwide Sales Millions of Units, 2006-2009


Adoption by organizations

Penn State: In 2009, a university-wide team installed BigFix PC power management software on 20,000 computers. The software enables IT staff to ensure computers are in sleep mode when they’re not being used, and to remotely wake up the machines when they are needed. More in the Q&A.12

Canon USA: The imaging equipment company saved 2.7 million kWh and $300,000 in 2009 and 2010 through an energy savings program at five U.S. offices. Among the initiatives, Canon replaced more than 4,000 cathode ray tube computer screens in its offices with energy efficient LCD monitors. It donated old monitors to schools and charities. Canon also removed more than 550 personal printers from service, and replaced them with its own imageRUNNER and imageRUNNER ADVANCE multifunction devices, using its uniFLOW printing software to manage the fleet of document output devices.13 More in the Q&A.

Ford Motor Company: The carmaker’s PC Power Management program using 1E’s NightWatchman is expected to save the automaker $1.2 million and reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 16,000 to 25,000 metric tons annually, 1E said.14

HSBC: The bank reduced its energy costs by $1 million and energy use by 7,267,865 kWh by implementing a companywide initiative to increase IT efficiency across more than 300,000 PCs in 8,000 global offices. The company achieved these savings by installing two 1E software applications — NightWatchman and Nomad.15

12 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/06/01/penn-state-u-tennessee-aim-for-big-energy-savings/

13 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/07/13/schneider-cisco-launch-joint-building-it-energy-platform-canon-saves-2-7m-kwh/

14 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2010/03/23/ford-saves-1-2-million-by-shutting-down-pcs/

15 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2010/08/05/hsbc-saves-1m-in-energy-costs/


IBM: The IT company has created best practices checklists setting minimum expectations for building systems and operations data center and IT systems. All sites using more than 2,000 MWh/year of energy must complete the checklists, perform a gap analysis and develop an energy conservation implementation plan a minimum of every three years.16

Timberland: The outdoor gear company has converted server power usage from 120 volts to 240 volts, bought efficient computers, virtualized servers and optimized data center layouts to conserve coolant flow, efforts that helped the company cut its carbon emissions by 38 percent in four years.17

AT&T: The telecoms company found $44 million in annualized energy savings by implementing 4,200 energy efficiency projects at its facilities in 2010. Initiatives included deploying desktop power management software on 169,000 computers, saving about $614,000 a year.18

Shell: The oil and gas giant appointed AT&T and Cisco to assess the energy efficiency of its IT infrastructure, down to individual servers and computers.19

Parker Hannifin: The manufacturer of motion and control technologies and systems was looking to solve several challenges ranging from power-wasting PCs to time-consuming software updates, patches and distributions, and says it is saving $600,000 a year in energy costs thanks to a partnership project with 1E to streamline its data center and cut power costs.20

16 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/06/27/ibm-saves-30m-in-energy-costs-in-one-year/

17 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/04/13/timberland-cuts-carbon-38-shy-of-goal/

18 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/03/03/atts-4200-efficiency-projects-generate-44m-savings/

19 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2010/12/08/att-cisco-appointed-to-green-shells-it/

20 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2010/11/18/parker-hannifin-saves-600000-with-power-management-software/


Thales: In 2009, the purchasing department at the defense firm starting using a CO2 calculator to help select new computer monitors. As part of the selection process, Thales purchasers used a software application to compare energy consumption, heat dissipation and CO2 emissions from transport and packaging.21

Sara Lee: Over two years, the food company replaced half of its computer fleet with more energy-efficient models.22

ITT: The diversified manufacturing firm rolled out a global program in 2010 that puts the majority of ITT computer monitors to “sleep” after 10 minutes of inactivity. This will eliminate 1,200 tons of CO2-equivalent emissions a year, the company says.23

Hovnanian: The construction company adopted power management software to power down PCs, as well as PolyCom videoconferencing, GoToMeeting for webinars, Microsoft Communicator for IM, and Oracle Contact Center Anywhere for remote desktop support, and developed its own e-training modules courses. When these measures are taken together with a data center overhaul, Hovnanian says it is saving $300,000 on server costs, $80,000 per year on electricity, and $1.2 million on travel costs. Its carbon footprint is down by 775,000 pounds.24

21 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2010/09/08/thales-cr-report-energy-use-down-7/

22 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2010/09/28/sara-lee-csr-report-waste-to-landfill-down-32-in-five-years/

23 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2010/10/08/itt-global-citizenship-report-co2-emissions-fall-6/

24 http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/05/03/corporate-green-it-awards-from-infoworld/


The future of IT efficiency

67% 69%

74%

50%

57%

39%

52% 56%

26% 20% 20%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

2008 2009 2010

IT Energy Management Practices 2008-2010

Organizations that have/are developing programs to manage, reduce IT energy use

IT managers who know what portion of their IT budget is spent on energy

Organizations that have reduced IT energy costs by 1% or more

Organizations that have flattened or reduced IT energy use, but increasing electricity prices drive up IT energy costs

Source: CDW, 2010 Energy Efficient IT Report


Projections

It is difficult to project exact figures for the take-up of energy efficient IT equipment or the adoption rates for other types of green IT initiatives. The last year’s downward trend for maturity of ICT sustainability practices could point to a wider trend, if Fujitsu is correct that companies have grabbed the low hanging fruit and are no longer giving such initiative s priority.

According to CDW, managers say that they have too little budget left for new, more efficient IT systems after meeting internal client demands. They also find that investments in efficient IT are hampered by senior management giving higher priority to investments in other areas of the organization.25

But CDW reports some positive signals as well. Companies are increasingly developing programs to manage IT energy use, and in 2010 well over half had reduced their IT energy spend by 1 percent or more. In addition, the percent of IT managers who know what portion of their IT budget is spent on energy increased from 50 percent in 2009 to 57 percent in 2010. (This question was not asked in 2008.)

IT Efficiency: What does all this mean?

• There are a number of “low-hanging fruit” that can make a company’s first IT efficiency savings relatively easy to find.

• Beyond this, companies need to develop a more comprehensive strategy to reduce IT energy consumption, and may want to consider software to help them locate saving opportunities.

• Energy Star now covers a huge number of computers, monitors and printers, giving companies a wide choice of products beneath an energy consumption threshold. But to drive efficiency higher, companies may want to look to a more stringent system, such as the Climate Savers Computing Initiative.

25 http://newsroom.cdw.com/features/feature-11-08-10.html


Q&A

Matt Boyd, Service Manager, Systems Management, Penn State

How does IBM Tivoli Endpoint Manager work? How does this software help you improve the efficiency of your devices?

IBM Tivoli Endpoint Manager (TEM), formerly known as BigFix, allows us to be more efficient in several ways. Prior to deploying TEM on a large scale, we did not have a way to estimate or track the power consumption of our computer equipment. We were able to use the power monitoring tools that TEM provides to estimate how much energy our workstations were consuming and identify the potential savings. The power monitoring tools enable us to continue measuring power savings and consumption based on the amount of time each workstation is in a power-saving state.

To actually reduce power consumption, TEM also helps us remotely configure power saving settings across large groups of workstations en masse. System administrators are able to quickly deploy power saving settings, including monitor, disk, and standby, to large groups of Mac and Windows workstations. They can also use TEM’s infrastructure for Wake-on-LAN.

What did you spend on this, and what do you project for the ROI and payback period?

Software licensing costs are confidential and I can’t provide an estimate. The ROI is not just about power savings but also about more efficient systems management and reducing redundant work for distributed IT staff across the University.

Are you still estimating that it will save $25 per computer per year, or $800,000, and prevent the equivalent of 60,000 tons of CO2 (as mentioned in an EL news story - http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/06/01/penn-state-u-tennessee-aim-for-big-energy-savings/)?

I believe that was a hypothetical estimate that we could reach if aggressive power management settings were applied to all workstations at Penn State. It’s important to note that there are no mandatory power


settings for all workstations at Penn State, and that this is service that departments must opt into. We’ve conservatively estimated that, at our current levels of participation, the University is saving around $300,000 in energy costs annually through power management.

How did you choose this particular software over its competitors? What are the important things to look for when choosing such software?

We established a committee that investigated client and systems management solutions, one of which was TEM (formerly BigFix). From that committee, there were at least three administrative areas within the University that actively participated in a proof-of-concept and provided feedback. The consensus seemed to be that this was a very worthwhile effort, not just from an energy saving perspective, but also in terms of systems management capabilities. TEM is a full-featured systems management platform that enables IT staff to automate software deployment, patch management, and system configuration.

Penn State has said that through the use of aggressive power management settings, its ultimate goal is to save $25 to $50 per machine per year – how are you changing power management settings to get to that level?

In the past, many workstations were left on 24x7 regardless of whether they were being used or not. Today, we’re encouraging IT staff to use TEM for configuring workstations to enter a low power standby mode when idle. Standby mode, or sleep mode as it’s sometimes called, is a better solution for end users than powering off their workstations when idle. The workstation can instantly resume to the state that the user previously left it in, and any unsaved work they left open is not lost. In most cases, standby mode saves almost as much energy as completely powering off the workstation.

What other measures have you taken to improve the efficiency/lower the energy consumption of your IT devices, such as computers, monitors, printers, cell phones and tablets?

Regarding power consumption of other devices, we consider monitors part of a workstation, and apply power-saving settings to put them into low power mode as well. The majority of our computer lab printers are Energy Star certified and configured to enter a power saving mode when idle. Desktop PCs are really what I’d consider the “low hanging fruit” when it comes to IT power savings.


What are the factors you consider when buying new IT equipment? What scorecards, rating certifications and/or standards do you use to help make your decision?

I believe we generally look for Energy Star-compliant IT equipment.

How do you monitor the energy consumption of your IT equipment?

TEM provides tools for us to monitor workstations. It allows us to see what power management settings are applied to each workstation, and estimate consumption based on the amount of time that each workstation and monitor is idle but not in standby.

How do you balance the need to have energy-efficient IT devices against the environmental costs associated with disposing of e-waste?

The University has an initiative to ensure that University-owned IT equipment is properly recycled. For more information, you can refer to this website: http://green.psu.edu/psuDoing/recycling/computers.asp.

Q&A

Mario Rufino, Manager, Environmental Management and Product Safety, Canon, U.S.A.

What are the factors, financial and otherwise, you had to consider in making the switch to LCD monitors?

The biggest factors in undertaking the switch were the long-term financial benefits and building the ROI case to justify the swap. Next we had to consider the logistics of collecting and ultimately donating the used equipment as well as how to implement the swap so as not to disrupt the end user. Other factors we considered included the improved ergonomics and health benefits of LCDs as opposed to CRTs, such as the reduction in the risk of headaches and glare problems/eyestrain.


What did you spend on this, and what has been the ROI and payback period?

We estimated that the power required to run an LCD is about half of that required for a CRT with the same screen area.

How do you balance the need to have energy-efficient IT devices against the environmental costs associated with disposing of e-waste?

Moving towards a more energy efficient workplace environment is a key goal for Canon and something that we constantly strive to improve upon. In this case, we donated most of the CRT devices to charity, so that we were able to implement the energy savings program, while the devices continued their productive lifecycle somewhere else.

I understand that you removed more than 550 personal printers from service, and replaced them with imageRUNNER and imageRUNNER ADVANCE multifunction devices. What factors went into this decision - how did you decide how many and which printers to eliminate?

We were able to leverage the capabilities of our own Canon Information and Imaging Solutions organization to accomplish this objective. This group conducted a comprehensive print assessment services that included an analysis of current usage practices for creating and printing documents, much the same way they would conduct an assessment for their external customers. This assessment included a comprehensive count and breakdown of all output devices in Canon USA’s offices. Print volume data, as well as, metrics are device utilization – such as user ratio per device, cost-per-page per device, output cost per employee, total output costs, etc., were also analyzed and taken into consideration as the new printer fleet was implemented.

Isn't there a good argument for a business to have more personal printers, rather than fewer large printers, because it saves staff having to take long trips to pick up their printouts? How do you deal with this issue?

Through proper device placement we have been able to mitigate issues related to staff members needing to take long trips to pick up their output. Workers can make fewer trips by using features such as Secure


Print which allows them to submit multiple print jobs and retrieve them at the device when it is convenient. We are finding that our staff members are more productive with our imageRUNNER MFPs, because they are able to take multi-task (by being able to copy, print, scan, and fax from one device) and take advantage of advanced workflow features that were not available their personal printers. Additionally, since everyone realizes the environmental benefits of consolidating personal printers with a shared multifunction device (energy savings, space savings, toner/ink supply savings, paper savings, etc.), they are embracing the new print architecture.

What other major initiatives has Canon undertaken to reduce the energy consumption of its IT devices, such as computers, monitors, printers, cell phones and tablets?

We have set the "sleep time" to allow for lower energy consumption when computers and monitors are not in use. We also participate in the Low Carbon IT Campaign, which allows our employees to pledge to maintain the energy saving settings on their computer, and have regular outreach about energy savings to employees through our quarterly environmental e-newsletter.

We have local initiatives, such as in our Irvine office where “In Use” and “Not in Use” signs/stickers are used to indicate which equipment can and cannot be shut down, due to data processing. That way, the groups are able to do sweeps at the end of the day to ensure that any equipment not in use is shut down.

Additionally, the power management in some of our sales training labs is managed remotely through complex scripting that automates the powering off and on of these systems during periods of inactivity, while also allowing the workstations’ courseware to be updated daily.

Have you sought out and/or received any financial incentives from your utility for these efforts?

We have not received any financial incentives to undertake these activities.

Date post:	07-Mar-2021
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