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It's the third annual Power IT Down Day, a global effort to get workers to turn off their computers, monitors, printers and other peripherals before they go home. And though it may be a small action to take, the rewards are potentially huge.
We have talked about PC power management an awful lot around here, for two reasons: 1) it's one of the easiest things companies can do to save energy and money, and 2) it's also one of the least common actions companies think to take.
So Power IT Down is trying to make a one-day event into a long-term habit. Already, nearly 17,000 people have signed up to participate -- which is as easy as turning off your computer when you leave work today.
As we wrote earlier this week along with a with a list of 10 things you can do for Power IT Down Day:
The event is held in August to highlight how summer heatwaves boost demand for electricity, and turning computers off before leaving work can lighten the load on the electrical grid.
"Power IT Down Day 2009 saved about 73,000 kWh in a single night -- enough energy to power the homes of 77 U.S. families for an entire month," reads an FAQ on the group's website. "This year, because Power IT Down Day falls on a Friday, we have the opportunity to dramatically increase the energy saved by the simple, individual act of powering down at the end of the day and before the weekend."
Going one step beyond the individual action behind Power IT Down Day, companies are installing PC power management software, a simple solution that the IT department can set up to make sure computers are on when they're needed, and off or idle when they're not.
Firms that have put one of the many, many power management programs to work are and seeing big savings as a result. Among the results we've previously reported:
- AT&T saves more than $13 million a year
- Verizon: $5 million per year
- Ford: $1.2 million a year
- The General Services Administration: $750,000 a year
- Texas Southern University: $225,000 a year
- King County, Wash.: $140,000 a year.
Savings are easy to achieve, and nearly instant in their payback. Also be sure to read our list of the 10 things to know about PC power management.
If you haven't yet signed up for Power IT Down Day, what are you waiting for?
Photo CC-licensed by FHKE.
Power IT Down Day should be every day
Thanks for bringing attention to this event. Unfortunately we are still at a place in the energy efficiency game where we have to hold an annual event to plead people to turn off their computers at night. I remember reading a statistic a few months ago that pointed out that when a business adds its first computer on site, it increases its energy usage by an average of 60%; that number increases from there with each additional computer added to the load. IT consumes an immense amount of the energy demand for the average business (especially small businesses and office or home based businesses). Simple steps like shutting off and unplugging computers at night can lower demand and slash vampire energy consumption, which may account for upwards of 5% of total national electricity consumption. While days that bring attention to energy and sustainability issues like this are valuable and serve a purpose, I look forward to the day where this is the norm, not a once a year event.
- Tim Kovach,
Product Coordinator, Energy at COSE
www.cose.org/blog
www.twitter.com/COSEenergy
Its only takes a second
and you can save alot of money and energy..Great article - Thanks