LONDON, March 25 /PRNewswire/ --
- But UK Office Workers Lead Their US Counterparts in Making the Environment a Priority
The findings of the 2009 PC Energy Report have been released today by 1E and the Alliance to Save Energy. Despite spiralling energy costs and the environment playing an increased role in the corporate agenda, much further action is required by both individuals and employers. 1E and the Alliance to Save Energy commissioned Harris Interactive(R) to conduct surveys in the UK, US and Germany to show how organisations can easily cut energy costs and reduce their carbon footprint by better understanding user behaviour in the workplace.
Key statistics show that the environment is the main reason why 27% of UK users power down their computers at the end of the workday compared to only 10% who cited this reason in the US. If the 17 million workers in the UK who regularly use a computer turned it off at night, it would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approx 1.3 million tons, the equivalent of removing 245,000 cars from the road, approximately 1% of all UK vehicles* or 77% of all traffic entering the congestion zone in London**.
Other key report findings:
- Three in ten workers in the UK do not always power down when they have finished working for the day If a UK business with 10,000 computers leaves them on all night for one year, it will cost GBP168,000 and emit 828 tonnes of CO2 - The information and communications technology (ICT) industry generates 2% of the world's carbon emissions, equivalent to aviation industry. Of this 2% up to 39% is created by PC's and monitors
UK vs. US
Number of workers who use a PC regularly as part of their job:
US - 74% of employed adults (108 million employees)
UK - 78% of employed adults (17 million employees)
Asked why they power down their computers at night:
- UK employees were the most idealistic in their responses, with 27 percent saying they power down PCs to help the environment - The most common reason given by US employees (21 percent) was practical - to ensure the proper functioning of their PC Asked whether their employers should be doing more, responses revealed: - Both US and UK employees who use a PC at work believe their employers should be doing more to reduce their company's power consumption (63% and 67% respectively)
The simple step of powering down a PC can reduce a machine's energy use by 80 percent, allowing companies to save more than GBP26 per desktop PC.
Powering down inactive PCs can provide a simple yet effective way for businesses to reduce overhead costs and environmental impact, said Kateri Callahan, president of the Alliance to Save Energy. The economic crisis and volatile energy prices make it even more imperative for businesses to save money by saving energy.
Employers today have a golden opportunity to demonstrate their environmental and financial leadership by taking a few simple, energy-saving measures, like setting up processes to power down PCs, said Sumir Karayi, chief executive officer, 1E. A computer uses energy even when it appears to be idle. Shutting down PCs when not in use will help businesses to significantly reduce costs while preventing tons of CO2 from being emitted into our atmosphere.
Karayi added that most employed adults who use a PC at work believe that their companies should be doing more to reduce power consumption (63 percent in the US, 67 percent in the UK) - suggesting that power management initiatives would be welcomed by employees. In fact, a significant amount of workers believe that their companies should be doing much more to reduce power consumption in the workplace (30 percent in the UK, 24 percent in the US).
Setting an example: UK Department for Children, Schools and Families
The Department for Children, Schools and Families found that many of its PCs were being left on unnecessarily overnight and at weekends. As part of the target for all government offices to be carbon neutral by 2012, the Department is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and setting an example to others to advocate emission savings. The UK Government's central procurement department, the Office for Government Commerce (OGC), has selected the NightWatchman PC power management solution from 1E as part of its campaign to encourage the public sector to work smarter for the environment when using PCs. The campaign also ties into the Cabinet Office agenda for greening government IT. This pan-government framework will assist the switching off of PCs when not in use and could save up to GBP10.2 million and carbon emission reductions of up to 55,723 tons per year.
By enforcing the automatic powering down of PCs overnight and at the weekends, the Department has made the following savings:
- A reduction of 35,290 kg of CO2 emissions
- A saving of 53,960 kW of electricity
A copy of the full 2009 PC Energy Report, which includes real-world PC energy successes from Dell, ATT and the UK government, can be downloaded at http://www.1E.com. The report is based on data resulting from two surveys conducted by leading market research firm Harris Interactive on behalf of 1E and the Alliance to Save Energy.
About the Survey
The survey was conducted online within the United States, Germany and the UK by Harris Interactive on behalf of 1E and the Alliance Save Energy. In the US, a survey was conducted between September 4-8, 2008 among 2,112 US adults 18+, of whom 1,258 are employed and a follow-up survey was conducted between October 15-17, 2008 among 2,631 US adults 18+, of whom 1,717 are employed. In Germany, it was conducted between September 3-12, 2008 among 2,028 German adults 18+, of whom 1,432 are employed. In the UK, it was conducted between September 3-12, 2008 among 2,021 UK adults 18+, of whom 1,273 are employed. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. A full methodology, including weighting variables, is available.
About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is a global leader in custom market research. With a long and rich history in multimodal research that is powered by our science and technology, we assist clients in achieving business results. Harris Interactive serves clients globally through our North American, European and Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms. For more information, please visit http://www.harrisinteractive.com.
About 1E
1E is a global Windows Management software and services company. Our expertise in providing leading-edge automation solutions, which reduce complexity, management costs and power consumption, has earned us the trust and confidence of over 10 million users across more than 1,000 businesses in 42 countries worldwide. Customers include Allstate Insurance, Blue Cross, British Airways, Dell Inc, HSBC, ING Investment Management, Marks Spencer, Microsoft, Nestlé, Reed Elsevier, SABMiller, Syngenta, the US Air Force on behalf of the Pentagon, Verizon Wireless. Please visit http://www.1e.com
About Alliance to Save Energy The Alliance to Save Energy is a coalition of prominent business, government, environmental, and consumer leaders who promote the efficient and clean use of energy worldwide to benefit consumers, the environment, economy, and national security. More information is available at http://www.ase.org.
Notes:
*Based upon RAC 2007 survey stating 27.8 million UK registered vehicles
**National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, report Traffic Congestion Charging Oct 2008 ( http://www.ehponline.org/science-ed/2008/Congestion_Pricing.pdf)
MEDIA CONTACT: Phil Rawcliffe, 1E, +44-208-326-9073, phil.rawcliffe@1e.com
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