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While HP has a leading portfolio of energy-efficient products and solutions, in aggregate computers, servers, printers, mobile devices and other IT equipment require large amounts of energy, making them contributors to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As an example, the energy required to power and in some cases cool HP products is greater than the energy we use to run our facilities. Overall, the information and communications technology industry creates about 2 percent of global GHG emissions.¹

At HP, we believe we, along with customers and power utilities, share responsibility for the energy used by our products From the computer chip to the data center, we are constantly looking for ways to improve product energy efficiency and are working to educate customers about the effects of their power consumption. We are also taking steps to reduce the energy required for manufacturing and distributing our products, as well as that used in our own operations.

We see great potential to make a large impact by improving the energy efficiency of our products. For example, the Climate Savers Computing Initiative estimates that the average PC wastes about half of the energy it is supplied because the level of energy provided does not adjust to the computer’s varying needs. By addressing this problem, HP can help reduce GHG emissions and lower our customers’ energy costs. 

Servers represent another area to improve energy efficiency. The rapid growth in server installations is creating significant energy and cost implications, as the following data illustrate:

• In 2005, $26 billion was spent to power and cool the worldwide installed base of servers. This is more than double the cost in 1995 and is forecast to grow by an additional 70 percent by 2010.²
• HP calculates that the total power costs of a data center with 70,000 square feet of floor space can exceed $7 million a year, and this number is increasing.
• Power and associated cooling expenses are forecast to grow four times as fast as the cost of servers, and will represent 70 percent of the expenses related to new servers in 2010.³

HP has focused on improving product energy efficiency since 1992, when we launched our Design for Environment program. In 1996, HP Labs established a Power and Cooling Team, and we now hold many patents in this area.

HP has implemented a corporate strategy to reduce the carbon footprint of our operations and deliver energy-efficient products and services through innovative design, effective collaborations and advanced research. One of our goals is to reduce the energy consumption and associated GHG emissions of HP operations and products to 25 percent below 2005 levels by 2010. In 2007, we added a new 2010 goal for PC energy efficiency, committing to reduce energy consumption of volume desktop and notebook PC families by 25 percent, compared with 2005 (see Goals for further details). By meeting our goals, we estimate that HP will prevent 6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e) a year from entering the atmosphere between 2005 and 2010, equivalent to removing 1.1 million cars from the road for a year.⁴

¹Gartner: Conceptualizing ‘Green’ IT and Data Center Power and Cooling Issues, September 2007.
²IDC: Worldwide Server Power and Cooling Expense 2006-2010 Forecast, September 2006.
³IDC, as above.
⁴ See http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-resources/calculator.html.