Let Your Computer Dream of Electric Sheep, Save a World
If all office computers and monitors in the United States were set to sleep when not being used, the country could save more than 44 billion kWh or $4 billion worth of electricity and avoid the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of about five million cars each year. By enabling the sleep mode on computers and monitors, organizations can help reduce the growing demand for electricity--and save money--while fighting climate change. So says the EPA, and to encourage this action, the agency is asking organizations to join the Energy Star Low Carbon IT Campaign.
By enabling power management settings, computers and monitors go into a low-power sleep mode after a period of inactivity. Power management has the potential to save up to $50 per computer annually. Despite the significant savings, according to Lawrence Berkeley National Labs, only five to 10 percent of U.S. organizations have deployed these settings on computers.
To join the Energy Star Low Carbon IT Campaign, organizations simply take an online pledge to activate power management features on their monitors and computers to save energy and reduce their carbon footprint. Organizations can increase energy savings further by purchasing Energy Star qualified computers and monitors. In turn, EPA provides free assistance to help implement power management, an estimate of the organization's energy and carbon savings, and official recognition from the agency. Join the campaign by visiting www.energystar.gov/lowcarbonit.