This document discusses ways to make computing more sustainable by minimizing costs, waste, and environmental footprint. Some key strategies include optimizing power management settings to save up to 80% of PC power usage, enabling hibernation mode, scheduling hardware to turn off when not in use, right-sizing computer performance needs, virtualizing servers and desktops where possible, minimizing paper usage, recycling equipment and supplies, and optimizing network designs and device usage. The benefits include reducing operating costs, extending hardware lifespan, and decreasing environmental impact.

1. Sustainable
Computing
 Making your computing activities sustainable
 Making you computing budget go further

2. Did you know …
 That power makes up >½ a computing budget?
 That 90% of PCs have power management
disabled or crippled?
 That PCs waste around ½ the energy they use?
 That PCs lose around ⅓ their power as heat?
 That a PC can use over 800kWhr/yr (~$300pa)
 That manufacturing a PC consumes double its
weight in fossil fuels?
 That peripherals (printers, routers. switches,
etc) may be just as bad?
 That computing creates around 2% of global
CO2 emissions?
 That’s the same CO2 as the aviation industry!

3. Aims of Sustainable Computing
Minimise costs
 Operating
 Capital
 Consumables
Minimise waste
Maximise
 System life
 Essential performance, flexibility, …
Minimise environmental footprint

4. Optimise PC Power Management
 Save up to 80% of PC power use
 Up to 60% network-wide
 Minimal cost to implement
 Can be centrally managed
 Requires analysis of usage
 For monitors, as well

5. Enable hibernation
Maximises power savings
Equivalent to turning PC off
 But much faster to restart

6. Turn hardware off
Can be scheduled
 Restart can be
scheduled, too
Turn off at wall for
maximum savings
 Includes monitor,
printers, etc

7. Does Power-cycling harm PCs?
Urban myth
To harm a PC
 Power cycle >40,000 times
 Once per working hour for
20 years
The less a PC is on, the
longer it will last
 The less power it will waste

8. Optimise peripheral sleep mode
Printers, routers, access points,
monitors, etc
Enable sleep mode
Customise time-to-sleep

9. Reduce power-on times
Schedule start-up
 If manual start-up impractical
Install power timers
 Devices without power timers

10. Screen-savers …
Don’t save screens
Consume energy
 CPU
 Monitor
 Graphics card
Turn monitor off
 Automate monitor stand-by

11. Minimise paper usage
Use duplex printing
 Set as printer default
Reuse single-sided printed
paper
 Add a paper tray

12. Recycling
Use recycled
 Paper
 Printer cartridges
Buy consumables in recycled/
recyclable packaging
Recycle waste paper
 Or compost
Recycle printer cartridges

13. Do you have multiple servers?
Can you virtualise?
 E.g., Windows on Linux
Can you consolidate?
 e.g., email/directory/terminal/SQL server
Replaces several servers with one

14. Do you have many users?
Can you virtualise?
 Replace full PCs with thin clients
 Continue to use old hardware
Can you “right-size” PC performance?

15. “Right-sizing” computers
Don’t over-specify
Cheap hardware obsoletes quickly
Maximise life-cycle performance &
durability
Minimise unused
performance
Potentially reduce
purchase costs

16. Energy-efficient computer design
 Select components for energy efficiency &
power management
 CPU
 Motherboard
 Hard disk
 Graphics card
 Power supply
 Display
 Case (cooling)
 ~$30/PC, ~$45/server

17. Optimise network design
 Higher network speeds  high power
 100Mb  Gigabit: up to 4W/connection
 Are higher speeds required everywhere?
 Can unused network ports be disabled?
 Don’t use non-essential WiFi
 55Mbps up to 20W/client
 Higher network
overheads
 55Mbps nominal ≈18Mbps actual (best)

18. Smart network technologies
 Link-down > power-down
 Cable length power setting
 Smart-fan & fanless designs
 Wake-on-Lan
 Scheduled WiFi, PoE
 Hibernation
 WiFi output power management
 NAS hard disk power-down
 Up to 80% power saving

19. Device consolidation
Printer/fax/copier/scanner
 Check stand-by power
consumption less than
separate fax machine

20. Printers
 Laser v/s inkjet
 Laser consumables cheaper, more sustainable
(per page)
 Inkjet power consumption lower
 Most lasers replace drum
plus toner
 Optimise device selection
 Peak power consumption
 Standby/sleep mode
consumption & configurability
 TCO (Total Cost of Ownership)

21. Optimise usage practices
Get off the upgrade cycle
Use PCs for the purpose they were
bought for
Reduce hard copy

22. eWaste
Minimise
 Maximise life of hardware
Reuse
 Reassign old hardware
 Internally & externally
 Securely erase confidential/ personal data
before disposal
Recycle
 Recycle consumables
 Recycle ewaste

23. The Benefits
Reduce IT
 Power consumption by up to 85%
 IT hardware purchase costs
 Maintenance & support costs
 Consumables expenses
 Waste costs
 Software costs
Extend hardware life

24. Sustainable
Computing
 info@EarthCareTech.com.au
 www. EarthCareTech.com.au