Power management may save $25 to $75 per PC yearly but few practice it

Recent study of PC power management practices at large and midsize companies held by Forrester Research Inc. shows, 13% of 91 IT managers had implemented wide-scale power management programs. 

Some of the reasons cited for the low deployment rate included: IT managers weren't responsible for technology energy costs, concerns about possible end-user backlash, uncertainties about the best approach and policies to put in place, and inability to predict financial savings.

On the other hand, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated that the share of the enterprise PCs in use with their power management capabilities turned on did not exceed 10%. And one of the reasons to the fact was the operating system being used by those computers. For example, Windows XP does not give an opportunity to manage power settings on PCs over a network, while Vista does. 

Forrest Miller, director of support services for the Lake Washington School District in Redmond, Wash, stated that using software from Seattle-based Verdiem Corp. to manage the school district's PC power consumption has helped the district to save about $256,000 annually. 

Although, specialists stated the amount of money saved might vary significantly by region, the EPA estimated cost savings of $25 to $75 per PC annually if simply system standby or hibernation features were activated on machines. 

It should also be stated, that only 9% of the IT managers surveyed by Forrester said they had no interest in PC power management, with 48% considering the idea of setting up a program.