Climate Savers Computing Initiative

Key Facts

• The Climate Savers Computing Initiative (CSCI) helps participating global businesses, organizations and consumers increase deployment of high-efficiency computer systems and power management technologies that save money, reduce energy consumption and decrease greenhouse gas emissions. More than 500 companies and organizations have joined the Initiative since its launch in June 2007, and thousands of individuals have pledged their support.

• Though ICT accounts for 2% of global emissions, but government estimates show that ICT is nearly 10% of the UK's total electricity consumption. And it can make up an even bigger chunk of an office's energy consumption and costs. Demand for storage has grown 50% annually in recent years (see McKinsey report), faster than the cost of storage per unit is falling. Achieving dramatic efficiency in buildings will require also achieving efficiency in PCs, servers and UPSs.
  
  Feedback is crucial. The 1E PC Energy Report (2009) notes that just turning off PCs at night in an office with 10,000 PCs could save a US company $260,000 and 1,871 tons of CO2 emissions per year.
  

  Climate Savers Computing Initiative member companies commit to broadly deploying power management and purchasing energy-efficient PCs, servers and other hardware for new IT purchases. Computer and component manufacturers commit to being environmental leaders in their field by producing products that meet specified power efficiency targets. Corporate participants commit to purchasing power-efficient computing products. Initiatives include:

  • Climate Savers Computing Energy Efficiency Criteria: CSCI qualified PCs, laptops and workstations exceeding the current effective ENERGY STAR specifications for power supply unit (PSU) energy efficiency requirements can qualify for and be promoted as having achieved Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum status.
    
  • Climate Savers Computing Product Catalog is an online catalog for individuals and enterprises with a comprehensive and searchable listing of Climate Savers Computing-compliant desktop PCs, laptops, servers, power supplies, power supply components, motherboards and power management software. 
    
  • Utility Energy-Efficiency Program Summit is a series of educational webinars designed to provide utilities valuable insights and best practices about the significant savings in both energy and cost that enterprises can achieve by investing in energy-efficient computing hardware and practices to raise awareness about utility incentives and rebates that help reduce energy consumption. CSCI and member organizations work together in several workgroups to set standards and reach goals that continually improve the energy efficiency of computers and servers on a global scale. Workgroups include:

  • Technical Workgroup: This group identifies and recommends the organization’s PSU efficiency targets for desktop, servers and storage PSUs that aligns with PSU efficiency targets set by Energy Star, 80Plus and Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA). It also determines PSU efficiency test methodology and identifies criteria requirements for product inclusion in the Climate Savers Computing Product Catalogue.
  • Power Management Technical Workgroup: This group gathers technology competitors at the same table to identify, solve and communicate technical barriers to desk-top and notebook computer power management deployment.
  • CSCI Marketing Workgroup: This group works to develop and execute all of CSCI’s marketing initiatives and includes a Web Sub-team focused on integration of all online properties and an EPA/Utility marketing team. The Marketing Workgroup serves as the oversight committee for outreach and communications efforts, including public relations, marketing/advertising, online communications and social media, Web site management and program development/execution.

  Power management initiatives include:

  • Power Down for the Planet 2009, which focuses on computer power management for higher education.  This initiative resulted in over 17,000 pledges and 3,000 tons of CO2 & 4.21M KWh saved per year. We are currently in the process of launching the 2010 Power Down for the Planet campaign.
  • The Power Management Design Guide provides hardware manufacturers with important guidance in building chipsets, processors and other devices to help support power management.
  • IT Power Management Summit is an educational webinar designed to raise awareness of the benefits and savings associated with enterprise power management.
  • The Power Management Incentive Program is a free pilot program that helps enterprises implement power management on networked desktops and notebooks (in progress).
• The project took 0 months to implement
• • Participants save money through reduced electrical and air-conditioning costs by adhering to CSCI criteria.
  • Manufacturers and system vendors benefit from increased demand for their products.
  • Board, Sponsor and Associate members receive brand enhancement through marketing, awareness and recognition opportunities with CSCI activities and achievements.
  • Other brand enhancement benefits include employee value alignment, ability to access and influence trends, events, regulations and programs and leadership recognition.
  • Members receive access to tools and resources to increase business practices, including industry case histories and efficiency programs.
  • Members with products that meet Climate Savers Computing certification standards are included in the organization’s online Climate Savers Computing Product Catalogue.
• The actual (or projected) savings from the project are estimated to globally save $5.5 billion in energy costs once the 50% energy reduction goal is achieved. Based on member responses (12%, not scaled to 100%), savings can be identified in the following areas: Enterprise Desktops: - 321,525 desktop units in use in 2009. - $19,291,500 per year ($60/computer) Power Management Pledges to power down (Power Down campaign and CSCI): - 26,871 Individuals Pledges - $1,612,260 per year ($60 per computer) Power Management Incentive Program: the program aims to utilize power management on 6 million stations over the next 3 years, avoid approximately 7 million tons of carbon dioxide and save participating organizations in excess of $900 million.
• The primary sponsor for the project was 1E, Acer Inc., Faronics, Fujitsu Limited, Hitachi Ltd., Lenovo, NEC Corporation, Symantec and Verdiem Corporation.

What was the impact?

• Did you use a specific methodology or third party to calculate CO2e or KWh savings?

  Yes. In order to allow Climate Savers Computing to accurately measure progress toward stated goals, we asked member companies to participate in the 2009 CSCI Member Impact Tracking Survey. To ensure security and confidentiality in reporting, an independent third party agency conducted the CSCI Member Impact Tracking Survey assessment.

• Comments on energy savings

  The goal of the Climate Savers Computing Initiative is to reduce global CO2 emissions from the operation of computers by 54 million tons per year, equivalent to the annual output of 11 million cars or 10–20 coal-fired power plants.

  Member and Market Savings Energy Efficient Procurement:

  End Year 1 – June 30, 2008: 4.9 million metric tons CO2 reduction

  End Year 2 - June 30, 2009: 16.4 million metric tons CO2 reduction

  End Year 3 – June 30, 2010 (Year 3 is a projection based on the data for the latter part of 2009: 32.5 million metric tons CO2 reduction Enterprise Desktops

  Based on member survey (with 12% response, not scaled to 100), there were 321,525 desktop units in use in 2009. 55,462.902 CO2 per year (0.000718  metric tons CO2 per kWh)

  Power Management Individual pledges to power down (Power Down campaign and other individual CSCI members) 26,871 Individual Pledges 4,635.2341 CO2 per year (0.000718; metric tons CO2 per kWh)

• Notes about Carbon savings/calculations

  The initiative goal is a 50% reduction in power consumption by computers. Current progress can be identified in the following areas:
  
  Member and Market Savings from Energy Efficient Procurement:
  End Year 1 – June 30, 2008: 6.8 million kWh reduction
  End Year 2 - June 30, 2009: 15.9 million kWh reduction
  End Year 3 – June 30, 2010 (Year 3 is a projection based on the data for the latter part of 2009): 22.5 million kWh reduction
  
  Enterprise Desktops
  Based on member survey (with 12% response, not scaled to 100), there were 321,525 desktop units in use in 2009.
  77,246,381.25 kWh per year (240.25 kWh per computer)
  
  Power Management
  Pledges to power down (Power Down campaign and CSCI)
  Savings have been calculated as 6,455,757.75 kWh per year (240.25 kWh per computer).
  
  The methodology used is the savings calculator from the EPA Energy Star web site.
  Dollar savings per year per pledge = $ 60*
  Energy savings per year per pledge = 240.25 kWh
  Carbon savings per year per pledge = 0.182457 metric tons
  
  *Note that the dollar savings per year from the Enterprise Interactive Toolkit estimates $60 per year savings.  The dollar savings depends on the cost of electricity which differs according to sector (i.e. residential, commercial and industrial).  Average price of electricity cents per kWh can be found here
  

• Comments on Carbon or Energy savings

  
  
• The project has independent verification for results

Making it Happen

• The following regulations or incentives allowed the business case to be more attractive

  For power management, utility incentive amounts to deploy power management typically range from $3 to $15 and allowed the business case to be more attractive to implement computer power management. Utility incentives and rebates are an important component of energy-efficient computing. 63% with access to Utility incentives and rebates believe that available incentives are applicable to their upcoming IT investments. 92% say that Utility incentives and rebates are a significant factor in IT purchasing. Source: CDW, 2009 EE IT Report, page 10

• Barriers experienced during the initiation of the project

• Comments regarding barriers

  Barriers to adoption for power management included lack of awareness internally about how to deploy power management and the perception that technology was difficult to access/implement.

  In particular, implementing power management over a network was perceived as difficult, when in fact there are solutions and a compelling business case.

  In addition, lack of clarity about utility incentives for energy efficient hardware and power management software contributed to some of the initial barriers.

  Other barriers include the recession and that it prevented companies from updating to more energy efficient hardware.

• Other comments regarding barriers preventing the successful completion of the project

  Climate Savers Computing needs to recruit more members to commit to energy-efficient computing and power management and to expand efforts globally.

• How were they overcome?

  Power Management Climate Savers Computing created an educational program to remove barriers to adopting IT Power Management, including a webinar with a discussion of the Myths of Power Management, a webinar about utility incentives for deploying power management and the Power Management Incentive Program. 

  Utility Incentives: To address the lack of clarity about utility incentives for energy efficient hardware, Climate Savers Computing and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency created a series of utility webinars to bring greater awareness about the environmental benefits, cost savings and consumer incentives associated with energy-efficient computing. The first of these how-to forums focused on the financial and environmental benefits of IT power management to utilities and their enterprise customers. The second forum focused on best practices for upgrading to energy-efficient computer systems and how to responsibly retire inefficient, aging computer fleets and related technology. The webinars are intended for energy-efficiency program sponsors, including utility energy-efficiency program managers and planners, program managers for state-run energy-efficiency programs, utility-funded energy-efficiency program managers, utility program marketers, energy service professionals and implementation support contractors.

  Global expansion: Expanding Climate Savers Computing globally in India, Europe, Japan and Asia Pacific will increase awareness worldwide about the initiative.

• What were the key lessons learnt?

  • It is critical to bring together both facility managers and IT managers when working with IT and Utility issues.
  • Myths are often the reason behind barriers to adoption.
  • Provide financial incentives for adopting energy efficiency measures to help increase adoption.
  • Show the return on investment to the bottom line.
  • Public-private partnerships are increasing in importance to accomplish goals move the market and increase awareness about energy efficient computing.