Cisco is getting in the building energy management game with its new EnergyWise technology, which will eventually allow companies to control everything from phones to air conditioning at any of their facilities.

The free EnergyWise software works with Cisco Catalyst switches and monitors the energy use of various devices and systems in buildings.

The first phase of EnergyWise, launching this month, will focus on network control, managing the energy used by VoIP phones, video surveillance cameras and wireless access points.

The second phase will roll out this summer and cover PCs, laptops, printers and servers. The final phase, in early 2010, will expand to building systems like heating, ventilation, air conditioning, elevators, lights, employee badge access systems and security systems.

The EnergyWise system provides real-time measurements of energy use among company facilities and branches, breaking down energy consumption by device and system.

EnergyWise users can control what gets power, when it gets power and how much power it gets. The software also allows users to create energy use policies and apply those policies throughout its network. Users can decide when certain devices get turned off or go into sleep mode, and can even set specific lights and computers to go on when employees enter buildings or certain areas – based on where they swipe employee access cards - and then turn off when the employees leave.

Cisco has partnered with a number of companies to assist with EnergyWise, including Schneider Electric for building utility management, SolarWinds for network monitoring, and Verdiem for monitoring PC power.