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Actively Manage PC Power Consumption for Big Savings and Environmental Sustainability Power consumption in a well-managed PC environment can be less than half of that for an unmanaged one, resulting in significant electricity cost savings, a substantial reduction in your IT carbon footprint and a marked boost to your overall environmental posture. Reduce PC Power Consumption by Moving Desktops from "Always On" to "Always Available" by Jay Parkes When it comes to 'green computing' and power reduction as a means of reducing carbon emissions, considerable attention has been focused to date on the datacentre. This may be because the infrastructure is centralized, making it easier for IT to measure and manage power consumption there. The cost of electricity and air conditioning for PCs and general office space, on the other hand, is often handled by a facilities management department and thus not controlled by IT. According to Gartner, however, the real culprit when it comes to IT carbon emission is the PC, which, along with monitors, contributes 40 per cent of total emissions, while datacentres contribute an estimated 23 per cent.[1] "PCs worldwide consume about 80 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity every year," claims Kevin Klustner, CEO of Verdiem, a leading developer of power management software for PC networks and a Compugen partner. "As much as two-thirds of that is wasted, which translates into a $5.4 billion opportunity for organizations to reduce operating costs and help the planet." As power consumption concerns grow, the power used by desktop PCs is increasingly being targeted for reduction. However, cutting costs and improving environmental performance are not mutually exclusive – adequate opportunity exists to do both, and Gartner estimates that power and CO2 reductions of 50 per cent for PCs are possible.[2] New PCs Boast Lower Power Consumption For PCs, overall power utilization is a function of: 1) how they are built, and 2) how they are used. With respect to PC design and manufacturing, newer PCs sporting processors such as the Intel Core 2 Duo and AMD Athlon 64 X2 consume 25 per cent less power in typical operations. As a result, PCs acquired in 2007 or later typically consume 75 watts or less, compared to the 100 watts common with older machines. Intel claims that its new Q35 chip set allows a 50 per cent power savings over the previous-generation chipset, making it ideal for low-power, small-motherboard form factors, such as the new HP Compaq dc7800 and dc5800 small form factor desktop PCs. These machines also include HP's 80 PLUS power supply, which is at least 80 per cent efficient at 20, 50 and 100 per cent loads, compared to current power supplies, which range from 65 to 75 per cent efficiency. The new ENERGY STAR 4.0® guideline that went into effect on July 20, 2007 specifies an 80-per-cent-efficient power supply as one of its primary requirements. For most organizations, however, hardware-based power reduction will only occur through the normal PC refresh cycle because it is difficult to build a business case to justify hardware replacement based solely on the potential savings from reducing power-related costs. Therefore, in addition to specifying power-efficient machines when acquiring new PCs, organizations should focus their attention on operational changes that can produce the most significant power reductions and cost savings. Balancing Power Reduction & Operational Efficiency The most effective way to reduce PC power consumption and thus cut electricity costs and carbon emissions is to simply shut PCs off when not in use. A PC left running 24x365 could cost as much as $75 per year for electricity, for example, while one that is turned off when not in use would cost less than $18. However, this approach may impact worker productivity and hamper desktop maintenance efforts, especially with respect to security patching and software deployments, which typically occur after hours. Relegating such tasks to business hours may impact machine performance and thus user productivity. An effective PC power management program is one that strikes the right balance between power reduction and operational efficiency. The way to accomplish this is through a change in both culture and operations based on a new desktop paradigm of "always available" instead of "always on". Organizations should implement a PC power management program that ensures that machines are automatically placed in a low-power state – hibernate, standby or off (if possible) – when not in use, especially at night and on weekends. This approach will yield far greater power savings that any design improvements that hardware manufacturers could possibly achieve, while leaving machines in a state that allows for maintenance and software updates through the use of wake-on-LAN and other system management technologies. Tools Best Way to Implement Power Management PC power management practices can be implemented through either 'passive' or 'active' means. Passive power management involves having users set the default timeout settings on a system – via the Control Panel – to shift the machine into a lower power state (e.g., switch off the monitor, turn off hard drives and put the machine to sleep) after a selected period of inactivity. Most users do not use these settings, however, and even tend to change settings to meet their own personal preferences, regardless of best practices for cost reduction and energy conservation. Active power management is a more effective approach, and involves the use of scripting or add-on tools to automate the process of changing a system's power state based on a set of rules or company policies. Windows Vista, for example, provides a Group Policies function which can be used to manage and change the power state of desktop PCs. The same capabilities exist on Windows XP desktops, but must be implemented on a PC-by-PC basis. When robust reporting and policy-based management are required, the use of third-party tools may be required. Since the administrators who manage PC configurations often also manage PC power, some PC lifecycle configuration management vendors have extended the policy-management capabilities of their management consoles to include power management controls. As described in a green computing article in the January 2007 issue of the Tuesday Technology Report, LANDesk, for example, includes power management as part of its PC configuration management suite. A solution such as this may be the right answer if you're looking for full PC life cycle configuration management functionality with power management as one of its capabilities. Verdiem Offers Excellent Policy Management General PC configuration management tools may not do the job when superior reporting and the flexibility to implement the appropriate power management policy without disrupting the business are required, tool vendors whose primary focus is on power management should be considered. Seattle-based Verdiem is a leading vendor in this space. Verdiem's SURVEYOR™ enterprise-level PC power management software measures, manages and reduces energy consumption on PC networks by providing remote, network-level control over PC power settings. SURVEYOR puts idle PCs and monitors into lower power settings via a centralized management approach to controlling the power settings residing within each networked computer. This maximizes energy reduction without interfering with end-user productivity or desktop maintenance. Noteworthy SURVEYOR features include:
Your prescription for IT power reduction:
These three industry leaders have teamed up to help organizations like yours reduce your PC power consumption and align IT initiatives with overall green IT goals. The new HP Compaq dc7800 and dc5800 desktop PCs ship with Verdiem software already installed, for example, and Compugen has recently become a Verdiem partner in Canada to help customers cut power costs, while improving their environmental posture. Click here or give us a call to find out how we can help your organization. | ||
