Report From 1E and the Alliance to Save Energy Finds That German Employers Waste EUR900 Million Each Year Powering Unused PCs

LONDON, March 25 /PRNewswire/ --

- 2009 PC Energy Report Quantifies Financial and Carbon Savings for PC Power Waste in the US, UK and Germany

According to an international study released today by 1E and the Alliance to Save Energy, nearly a third of all workplace PCs in Germany are not regularly powered down at night. The 2009 PC Energy Report, which examines workplace PC power consumption in the Germany, the UK, and the US, found that German businesses are wasting EUR918,840,000 million to power machines that are not in use. In 2009, these unused PCs are expected to emit 2,596,932 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions into the air, roughly the equivalent impact of 475,629 cars.

1E and the Alliance to Save Energy commissioned the report to raise awareness of a pervasive and damaging energy problem that can be quickly alleviated by simple, non-intrusive measures.

"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."

Green IT Practices Save Green

According to Gartner, every year the information and telecommunications technology industry generates 2% of the world's carbon emissions - the same as a year's worth of air traffic. Moreover, PCs and monitors account for 39% of these emissions, equivalent to the emissions of approximately 46 million cars.

"When examined individually, PCs may not appear to be the biggest energy hog in the IT environment, but when considering the sheer volume of PCs in the world - Gartner estimates more than 1 billion - the energy and carbon implications are staggering," added Mr. Karayi.

In fact, worldwide PC shut-down for just one night would save enough energy to light New York City's Empire State Building - inside and out - for more than 28 years!

An examination of user behaviour

Almost half of the employees in each country surveyed (49% in the US, 47% in the UK and 43% in Germany) don't power down for the following reasons:

- "it takes too long"
- "I forget"
- "to enable overnight software updates"
- "company policy"
- "I access my PC remotely"

In terms of national characteristics, the report found that German employees were most conscious about saving the employer's money, with 18 percent citing cost as the major factor for powering down. 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 quite practical - to ensure that the PC works properly the next day.

The survey also found 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 and 58 percent in Germany). 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 and 22 percent in Germany).

Savings for Business

Powering down a fleet of PCs can reduce a machine's energy use by 80 percent, allowing companies to save more than EUR27 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. "Now, more than ever, doing what's good for the environment is good for business. The economic crisis and volatile energy prices make it even more imperative for businesses to save money by saving energy."

A copy of the full 2009 PC Energy Report, which includes real-world PC energy successes from Dell, AT&T 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.

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, Nestle, 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.