Slim Down the Client

For the desktop, look for equipment with Energy Star 4.0 labels. Compact PC models, such as Lenovo's ThinkCentre A61e desktop or Dell's Inspiron 531, are more power-efficient than standard desktops and save space as well. Compact PCs include Energy Star 4.0-mandated high-efficiency power supplies that are at least 80 per cent efficient.

Jenny Craig is moving to a thin-client setup. Thin clients use less power and space, since they have no disk drives or fans, and the applications run on the server.

Although replacing PCs with thin clients and a presentation server requires adding servers on the back end that boost power demand, the savings on the desktop more than make up for that, says Jeff McNaught, chief marketing officer at Wyse. With the 64-bit edition of Presentation Server running on the back end, three 800-watt servers can accommodate 1,000 PCs. That's about 3 watts per client, he says.

For all their energy-saving benefits, thin clients won't work in every case. Northrup Grumman's space technology sector is rolling out 3,000 thin clients and has tested 39 engineering applications. While most of the programs ran just fine on the thin clients, a few graphics-intensive ones didn't work, says Clayton Kau, vice president of engineering.

Print More Efficiently

Desktops and laptops aren't the only areas where IT can improve efficiency. Printer efficiencies get better with every new model. HP claims that the energy efficiency of its printers improves 7 to 15 per cent with each new generation. So, replacing older units with new, Energy Star-labeled models can cut energy costs by as much as 25 per cent.

New technologies also improve efficiency. For instance, last spring, HP began replacing the fluorescent tubes used for photocopying with LEDs in some products. The technology uses 1.4 times less energy in use and one-fourth the power when idle, says HP.

Both Jenny Craig and Terremark Worldwide have configured printers to output double-sided pages by default. While using duplex mode doesn't save energy, it does avoid unnecessary paper use, says Jorge Bandin, VP IS and technology at Terremark.

Administrators can configure duplex printing across all printers, invoke power-saving modes, or configure machines to shut down during specific evening or weekend hours using automation tools available from various printer vendors.Consolidating and better managing printers and other peripherals also saves energy and money. According to Forrester, an individual copier, printer and fax machine can consume 1,400 kilowatt-hours of power annually, but a multifunction printer (MFP) consumes half that amount. Even so, says IDC analyst Keith Kmetz, "for every MFP out there, there are [still] six or seven printers."

MFPs, which combine copying, printing, scanning and faxing, offer additional efficiencies. Terremark, for example, uses them with j2 Global Communications's eFax service to route incoming faxes to e-mail instead of a printer.

There's no one-size-fits-all solution, says Waghray. But the best options will be those that complement the business by simplifying processes, making staffers more efficient and improving customer service.

Even if green isn't the goal, he says, it is a means to those ends. "Start to think about [green computing] as something that's pretty much part and parcel of what you're doing," he says.