Going Green with IT: A Study of Energy Consumption by Home and School Information Technology Systems in the College of Information at the University of North Texas

摘要

This paper addresses the strategies introduced by the College ofInformation at the University of North Texas to monitor and beginimplementing approaches to enable the college to move towardthe university???s strategic goal of becoming a climate-neutral,???Green University??? [3]. Data based on monitoring selected officeand home inventories of information technology equipment wereused to generate estimated production-level use and standby(vampire) consumption of electrical energy. Sample-basedestimations and projections regarding 2008 to 2009 progressindicate that that the College of Information at the University ofNorth Texas has made extensive progress over one year inreducing the energy consumed by its information technologysystems. New computer and printer systems have greaterprocessing power and capabilities but consume no more powerthan the ones they replace, when in full operation. The computersystems consume one-half to one-third (and in some cases oneseventh)the power of the previous systems when in 'sleep???,'hibernate' or 'shut down' states that qualify for the standarddefinition of consuming stand by power. The authors estimate thatthese actions have brought the college at least halfway toward itsfive-year goal of becoming climate neutral, during the first year ofthe initiative.