Workstations represent an opportunity to tackle a large amount of resource waste with minimal effort. Activating efficient computer settings and rightsizing IT equipment can quickly and easily decrease e-waste and energy waste. The members of the SIT Working Group wanted to determine what an optimal workstation would look like, and so they are conducting a number of studies to determine the ideal intersection between employee efficiency and environmental benefits. Below is a short summary of these different workstation power management initiatives.
Centralizing Computer Settings
The SIT Working Group has partnered with UVA’s facilities management’s technology staff to determine the most efficient way to minimize computer power consumption without impacting employees' work. The FM tech team first measured the energy savings from using a smart software system that was programmed to optimize computing power settings based on an analysis of work time trends. Although this did cut down on overall energy usage, the software cost a lot of money to purchase, maintain, and power, counteracting a lot of its savings. In an attempt to solve this issue, the team decided to run another trial in which they manually set all of the FM computer’s power settings with more conservative timing using SCCM. Only two of the 1200 employees noticed and complained about these new settings and it was easy to individually override the more conservative settings on their computers. We are still waiting for more data in order to calculate significant results, but the initial readings show that there have been clear drops in energy consumption already and so, for now, we are sticking with this approach because it is free, has maintained workplace efficiency, and decreases the organizations energy consumption.
Eliminating Vampire IT in the Workplace
Vampire IT is a phrase used to describe technological equipment that is left on when no one is using it. Although the power draw from individual Vampire IT devices is small, it adds up, especially in a large organization like UVA. Fortunately, there is an easy and automatic fix: smart power strips. There are many types of smart power strips, but they all turn off after a certain pre-programmed signal, such as a drop in current or a specific time. An energy engineer on the Sustainable IT Working Group is running a trial to measure how much power smart power strips can save in different locations around the office. We are using the study and outside research to determine which smart power strips work best in different parts of the workplace and if they save enough power to justify their environmental and financial costs.
Automating AV Equipment Shut-Off
We are in the early stages of a collaboration with Spectrum Integrators, a local AV company, to rewire our AV equipment so that their power settings are centralized. We want to make sure that shared displays and equipment are turned off when they are not being used so that we are reducing computing energy throughout the workplace. Ideally these power settings will be connected to occupancy settings, but that is not feasible for all rooms and types of equipment. We are meeting with Spectrum Integrators to determine what is possible and within our budget.