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| Febuary 2008 |
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| Going Green Saves the Green |
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| The recent focus on global warming and our diminishing natural resources has forced many of us to take a second look at energy conservation and its potential benefits to not only the environment but also to our bottom line. An August 2007 report by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) confirms that energy use has increased – drastically – and may almost double by 2011 if conservation methods aren’t implemented. According to the Information Week report, “the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found that left unchecked, data center energy consumption by the private and public sectors will soar to $7.4 billion in 2011, from $4.5 billion in 2006. "Despite daunting numbers, there’s still time to take action. From small businesses to enterprise-size corporations, there are a variety of small steps you can take that will make a big difference.
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1. Turn computers off when not in use
Whether at home or at work, we’ve all been guilty of leaving our computers plugged in and running constantly. Based on an InfoWorld green strategy report, "every PC and monitor left on overnight can cost your company as much as $75 per year in energy bills, according to Energy Star." While that many not sound like much, simply turning computers off when not in use can save a great deal of energy and money, so much in fact that the CIO of the 29,000-student Seminole Community College in Sanford, Florida found a way to save thousands a year. According to the ComputerWorld report, CIO Dick Hamann uses an automated system to turn off the school’s PCs at night - saving the college $65,000.
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2. Virtualize, virtualize, virtualize
Regardless of how many servers you have, one of the easiest ways to save energy and costs is to reap the benefits of virtualization. (For more information on virtualization, click here). With most servers utilizing only 10% to 15% of their capacity and, according to an April 2007 ComputerWorld report, another 10% to 30% that are simply not being used at all, the first step is to remove or turn off unused servers (a step that ComputerWorld says will save $1200 per server per year). The second step is to consolidate the remaining servers using virtualization. Not only will this save energy costs by reducing the number of servers, but turning each one into multiple virtual machines has a ripple effect. According to InformationWeek, for every kilowatt of energy it takes to power a machine, it takes approximately another kilowatt to cool it. This means that virtualization not only reduces the energy costs to power the machines, but also the energy costs to cool them. In addition, less servers also means less money spent on licensing fees.
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3. Consolidate
Simply consolidating office machines can make an impact. Instead of having individual copiers, printers and fax machines, consider investing in an all-in-one. After all, less machines means less energy used which translates directly to cost savings.
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4. Build Green
Not every business can afford to have a hydro-powered facility like Google or build an underground data center like Cavern Technologies, but by constructing or remodeling a data center, office building or other facility according to green standards, businesses can reap the cost-saving benefits for years to come.
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5. Manage your power
"Reports indicate that as much as 30% of corporate operating budgets go to power costs....," according to a June 2007 ComputerWorld article. A large percentage of those costs could easily be saved by utilizing efficient power supplies. Most servers contain power supplies that operate at a maximum of 60-75% efficiency. By purchasing energy-efficient power supplies, companies can maintain a minimum of 80% efficiency. Although the costs of efficient power supplies run higher, remember that saving energy and costs in power means you’ll also save on cooling costs. Check out 80plus.org for efficient power supplies.
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6. Use greener systems
There are a variety of ways to upgrade to a greener system in your home, office and data center. Use laptops instead of desktops to save energy and associated costs. "According to HP, the former uses up to 90 percent less energy," stated a November InfoWorld report. The same savings applies to using LCD monitors instead of CRTs. And energy-efficient servers are now becoming readily available as vendors realize the increasing demand for energy and cost-saving systems.
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7. Reduce and Recycle
With the use of communication tools such as email and instant messaging (IM), companies can save energy, resources, paper and ink costs by simply printing less. Inner-office communication can be conducted using email, and even faxes can be sent and received online. There are several rapidly growing companies who will also refill your ink and toner cartridges for much less than the costs to purchase new ones, which in turn reduces the number that are manufactured and then thrown out. In addition, recycling telecommunication equipment and ink and toner cartridges can not only save the environment, it can also put money back in your hands. There several companies such as Greentec International who will buy back your used cell phones, inkjet and toner cartridges. These companies can also provide secure recycling of your computer equipment and prevent them from contributing to our rapidly increasing landfills.
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8. Telecommute
Email, IM, and the ability to remotely compute make it easy for businesses to allow their employees to telecommute. Many corporations have already adopted the practice of allowing employees to telework one or two days a week, including several federal government agencies, Sun and others. "Gartner estimates that 12.6 million U.S. workers teleworked last year more than eight hours a week. But Gartner thinks that number will grow just 3% this year," according to a 2007 InformationWeek article. Telecommuting not only saves energy costs, it also reduces the amount your employees pay for gasoline, reduces wear and tear on their vehicles and the roads, reduces the amount of oil used and pollution, all while saving your business money.
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9. Advocacy
Becoming an advocate of energy-saving technology doesn’t mean you’ll need to spend your weekends making cardboard signs and protesting (unless you want to). By simply demanding that your vendors offer environmentally-friendly products or changing to a vendor who does, ensures that these manufacturers stand up and take notice of the increasing demand for energy-saving solutions.
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| These are just a few steps you can take to implement energy-saving techniques in your home, office or data center. As our use of technology and energy increases, the ability to manage the ramification of these increases is key to reducing costs as well as reducing damage to the environment. For additional information, check out Green Resources, a compilation of links and white papers offering everything from green building practices to computer recycling sources.
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About The Brookfield Group
The Brookfield Group has become a leader in IT, ISP, ASP and web solutions by providing next level technology solutions managed by experts who give you peace of mind without the tech-talk. The company's services are customized to fit any enterprise-size businesses and include: IT project management; hosting solutions and maintenance; systems security and patches; telecommunications services, server and desktop setup, repair and applications; network infrastructure design; audio visual products; surveillance and security solutions; as well as a variety of other software, hardware, services and accessories. Located in Carmel, Indiana, more information about The Brookfield Group products and services is available at www.thebrookfieldgroup.com or by calling 317.524.6000.
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