Tips for health offices and clinics to reduce wasted PC-related energy dollars
You're in the health field because you want to provide the best care to your patients, but you also have a business to manage. And part of managing a business requires you to periodically evaluate your expenditures and determine if there is any waste you can reduce or eliminate. Did you know that computers can waste energy? The operative word is "can". They don't have to waste energy if you know how to manage them. Manage them wisely, and you will likely be rewarded with lower energy costs. And that translates to a better bottom line for your health organization.
Follow these simple tips to start reducing your PC energy consumption and costs:
Screensavers use considerably more power than if you just let your computer go into standby mode. Setting your computer to auto-sleep after a certain amount of idle time is the best and easiest way to save on computer energy use. To change your settings: In Windows XP or Vista go to Start > Control Panel > Power Options. Set the power settings on your computer to automatically go into Sleep/Standby mode after 15 minutes or so of inactivity. If you do nothing else, do this. Also, another best practice is to turn your PC off when you are done using it for the day. Do not leave it in sleep mode overnight as it will still draw a small amount of power.
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Explore power management tools
HP Power Manager is an offering based on Verdiem Surveyor that puts energy consumption directly into your hands. You know your own needs better than anyone, and this application, available as an option on HP 5000 and 7000 series desktops, allows you to input your own cost per kilowatt hour to discover the financial impact of various power settings. You can then adjust power settings on business desktops in response, until you get consumption numbers you can live with.
Computer power supplies can have an efficiency range between 55-80%. That means at the lower end, power supplies can waste 45% of the energy they consume. Power supplies that are at least 80% efficient earn the EPA Energy Star label.
These power supplies are up to 33% more efficient than conventional, lower-efficiency power supplies. They also use less electricity, which lowers energy bills and can help reduce the total amount of carbon released into the atmosphere. The reduced heat output of 80% efficient power supplies can increase computer system reliability, leading to reduced repairs, less required IT support, and less downtime and lost productivity. All this adds up to decreased maintenance, longer equipment life, and energy savings, resulting in a lower TCO (total cost of ownership) for your business. HP offers certain desktop models that come standard with the 80 PLUS power supply or the 80 PLUS power supply can be purchased as an option. Note: the price of the 80 PLUS power supply is only $15-$20 more than a standard power supply.
Use energy-efficient computers (EPA Energy Star 4.0)
Computers that come with the EPA Energy Star 4.0 label require an 80% power supply and certain sleep settings and off wattage requirements in place for the PC and monitor. So look for the label when purchasing a new computer.
HP has energy-efficient business desktop PCs, including the industry's first with solid-state drive. Both the HP Compaq dc7800 Ultra-slim Desktop PC with SSD and the HP Compaq dc5800 Business PC provide the power and flexibility to meet the needs of most any business. In addition, they include a variety of features that allow them to meet the most stringent environmental requirements of EPEAT Gold registry. These two desktop PCs add to HP's industry-topping number of Gold-listed products in the EPEAT registry.
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Replace CRT monitors
It's a known fact that LCD monitors use a fraction of the energy CRT monitors use. If you replace your CRT monitors with LCD monitors you not only will see a noticeable savings in your energy costs, but you'll save space and reduce eye strain at the same time.
Thin clients are an alternative computing solution that provides reduced maintenance costs, minimal application updates, and a higher level of security than other desk-based products can offer. And because they are a lower power device, they are more energy efficient than desktop PCs. These solid-state devices connect over a network to a server where all processing and storage takes place. Thin clients typically only contain what is necessary to connect to a network and start up a dedicated web browser. The financial benefits to using thin client solutions can be significant.
For decades HP has worked to manage its environmental impact by adopting environmentally responsible practices in product development, operations and supply chain. The company strives to be a global leader in reducing its carbon footprint, limiting waste and recycling responsibly. HP's efforts earned it recognition as one of Fortune Magazine's "Ten Green Giants" in April 2007. More information about the company's work in relation to the environment is available at www.hp.com/environment.
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