An annual survey of different industries, including K-12 and higher education, reveals that attention to energy efficiency and “green” computing is increasing—although barriers such as cost still prevent complete implementation in some cases.
The fourth installment of CDW-G’s annual Energy Efficient IT Report changes course slightly in order to identify solutions that survey respondents said offer the most potential in energy efficiency, taking into account their cost, support requirements, and technical feasibility.
The survey included about 152 respondents from each of several industries: the business/nonprofit sector, the federal government, state and local government, higher education, and K-12 education.
In the report, green computing is defined as “products/services that are energy efficient, water efficient, bio-based, environmentally preferable, or non-ozone depleting.”
Results indicate that most organizations believe implementing energy-efficient IT solutions will be harder than it actually is. For instance, when asked to rank ease of implementation on a scale from 1-10, with 10 being the easiest, the average organization anticipated that implementing hardware with lower-power processors would rank a 5.7. According to those who have implemented such solutions, the reality of implementation is around a 6.1—easier than most think.
Barriers to broader green computing initiatives include lack of budget (56 percent) and other projects that take more priority (50 percent).
Seventy-one percent of higher-education participants and 72 percent of K-12 survey participants said they have reduced their data center energy costs by 1 percent or more.
Higher-ed IT respondents said the solution most likely to offer energy savings is an energy-efficient UPS (uninterruptible power supply), with 48 percent of those surveyed answering in kind.
Sixty-five percent of K-12 respondents said that new cooling approaches are most likely to help save on energy costs.
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