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Organizations waste about $2.8 billion every year powering 108 million unused computers, which in turn are expected to emit 20 million tons of carbon dioxide this year. John Frey with HP’s Power to Change campaign says that if 100,000 users shut down their work computers at the end of the day, huge energy savings could be realized.
“Sixty-five per cent of desktop users and 24 per cent of notebook users don’t shut their computer off at night when they’re not using them. If we have, for example, 100,000 users that shut down their computer each night when they’re not using it, they can save 2,600 kilowatt hours, or prevent the emission of 3,500 pounds of carbon per day, and that’s got the equivalent of taking 105 cars off the road each day.”
The Power to Change campaign provides a downloadable widget so users can track their environmental impact.
“And what the widget really does is measure when their computer’s idle and remind them everyday to turn the computer off at night, and they can even set their own normal work hours. And what they can see right on the widget is their personal results–how long their computer’s been idle, how much energy they’ve saved and what the equivalent in terms of carbon reduction and cars off the road is just for them. But it also shows them the global results of all the people participating in Power to Change. They can really see that combined impact every day.”
The widget is available on HP’s Web site. Ed Mayberry, KUHF Houston Public Radio.