The reduction in the University’s 2017/2018 carbon emissions from IT energy use! Find out more about how IT Services are helping reduce our impact on the environment and energy costs.
The challenge
Did you know that PCs and monitors consume more electricity than any other IT device? Why? Because we typically leave them powered on most of the time, even when we’re away from our desks!
So, with around 5,500 PCs on campus, the University’s ongoing commitment to reduce its carbon footprint and associated energy costs might at first seem an impossible task.
Far from it!
The solution
In 2009, IT Services implemented a centrally managed PC power management system – Verdiem Surveyor – allowing us to measure, manage and monitor network energy consumption, 24/7.
For the first few months after implementation, Verdiem measured staff and student behaviour to create a baseline of PC consumption, cost, and use. This allowed IT Services to establish power management policies that would maximise energy savings without interfering with productivity or disrupting business.
Our ‘sleep policy’ means the vast majority of desktop PCs and monitors (including classroom PCs) automatically go into sleep mode after 15 minutes of inactivity – so we only use the energy we need.
Verdiem’s dashboard reports illustrate the impact of this simple solution – everything from tonnes of carbon saved, to the number of trees that would have been required to offset this carbon!
The Impact
Since its introduction in 2009, Verdiem has helped reduce the annual electricity consumption of our PCs and monitors by up to 40%. In 2017/2018, power management reduced the University’s carbon footprint by 177 tonnes – that’s more than the weight of a blue whale!
Last month, this software helped save over 51 MWh, which is over £4,600 of electricity, and reduced the University’s carbon footprint by 15.9 tonnes. That’s the equivalent of the amount of carbon absorbed by 606 trees, or the amount of emissions generated a year by 5 cars!
Note:
Verdiem calculates savings using energy demand figures for each computer model provided by Energy Star.
Energy Star is a government backed symbol of energy efficiency, providing simple, credible, and unbiased information.