In this current economic climate, many businesses are looking for ways to cut costs. Well here is a simple suggestion that can produce some surprising results.
The average desktop computer has a 400-watt power supply. Generally, however, computers will only pull around 100 watts per hour. Therefore, over a 24 hour day a computer can consume roughly 2400 watts or 2.4 kilowatts (100 watts * 24 hours).
The national average for power is 9.5¢ per kilowatt-hour. Therefore, if a computer is left on 24 hours per day 7 days per week, the cost will be around $83 per year (2.4 kwh per day * $0.095 * 365 days) to operate the computer. If we consider an average size office with 20 computers, this equates to $1,660 in power consumption for just the computers.
Now, let's see what happens if we turn the computers off during non-working hours. Let's assume a 10 hour work day (7:30 AM - 5:30 PM). The computer will now pull 1000 watts or 1 kilowatt per day (100 watts * 10 hours). The yearly power consumption per computer becomes roughly $23 (1 kwh per day * $0.095 * 240 working days) per year. In a 20 workstation office, this equates to $460 per year.
As a whole, a 20 workstation office can save approximately $1,200 per year just by turning their computers off at the end of each day. So, now, not only are you saving money, but you are also helping the environment. You can also take your savings and stimulate the economy. Wow! I feel like I should be wearing a cape or something. I just saved the planet and the U.S. economy in less than 300 words.
Ryan Williams
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LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanwill
Website: http://www.techbetter.com
Blog: http://blog.techbetter.com
