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Green IT guidelines for public authorities

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Green IT guidelines

for public authorities

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Green IT guidelines for public authorities Published by:

National IT and Telecom Agency Holsteinsgade 63

DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø Telephone: 3545 0000 Fax: 3545 0000

This publication can be acquired free of charge while stocks last by contacting:

National IT and Telecom Agency

This publication can also be acquired from the National IT and Telecom Agency website: http://www.itst.dk

ISBN (Internet): 978-87-92311-69-6 Print: Grefta Tryk A/S

ISBN: 978-87-92311-70-2 Paper: 100% recycled paper, produced in Denmark and printed

using environmentally-friendly printing ink

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Green IT guidelines for public authorities

Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation December 2008

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There is a growing need to strengthen the use of Green IT in the public sector. In line with the increasing environmental challenges in Denmark and the rest of the world, there is a need to reduce energy consumption and CO²emissions in society.

Public authorities and institutions have a particular duty to be at the forefront in the application of sustainable initiatives. A more environmentally correct use of IT contributes to the fulfilment of the Government’s climate targets and the public sector can help to reduce its environmental impact.

I am pleased to present these Green IT guidelines for public authorities that contain good advice and proposals to make organisations’ use of IT greener. The guidelines describe how a public authority can achieve an environmentally-friendly IT profile with a focus on the development, production, use and disposal of IT.

The Green IT guidelines for public authorities evolved from one of the initiatives in the Action Plan for Green IT published by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation in April 2008.

We need to promote the use of environmentally-friendly IT solutions to actively contribute to solving long-term environmental challenges. In the majority of cases it will also be possible to save money by using green IT solutions. A strong Governmental focus on Green IT makes it easier for us to reap the environmental, social and economic benefits connected with the acquisition and use of IT by public authorities.

These guidelines are thus a practical tool for public authorities – and a helping hand on the path to a greener technological future.

Happy reading.

Helge Sander

Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation December 2008

Preface to the Green IT guidelines for public authorities

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These guidelines contain useful advice and specific proposals that can help institutions and public authorities purchase and use more environment-friendly IT equipment – and thus promote a greener IT profile.

The guidelines contain a total of 29 specific suggestions for action divided into five areas of focus. The purpose of the guidelines is to present the broadest possible range of action proposals in Green IT. This shall ensure that all public authorities and institutions can draw inspiration and take specific initiatives that contribute to the public sector achieving a greener IT profile.

The guidelines are aimed at IT managers, procurement managers, energy managers and other decision makers in the public sector who require input for strategic decisions and specific initiatives in Green IT.

Background

These guidelines are a continuation of the Action Plan for Green IT in Denmark published by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation in April 2008. These guidelines are thus a specific extension of initiative number three in the Action Plan.

The guidelines were created based on information collected, analyses and interviews with a number of IT managers and decision-makers in the Government, regions and councils as well as representatives from industry organisations and selected resource personnel from IT enterprises.

The following persons were interviewed or have in other ways contributed in connection with the preparation of these guidelines:

> Bjørn Thomsen, Deputy Council Director, Frederiksberg City Council

> Hans Stubbe Teglbjærg, IT Manager, Bernadotteskolen

> Jan Cilius, Director, Danish Government IT Services

> Povl Scheel-Bech, Project Manager, Danish Government IT Services

> Jens Birch, Captain, Danish Defence IT Agency

> Lars Bæhr, Deputy Captain, Danish Defence IT Agency

> Jesper Olesen, Secretariat Manager, The Danish Ministry of Economic and Business Affairs

Introduction

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> Jørgen Kristensen, IT Manager, Egedal City Council

> Kaj Eliassen, Inspector, Egedal Gymnasium

> Peter Pietras, University Director, Copenhagen Business School

> Göran Wilke, Secretariat Manager, The Danish Electricity Saving Trust

> Martin Præstegaard, Office Manager, Danish Ministry of Finance Indkøbssekretariat (Procurement Secretariat)

> Tom Togsverd, Director, ITEK

> Mette Herget, Environment Manager, The Danish Chamber of Commerce

> Søren Jensen, Special Consultant, Danish Ministry of the Environment

> Thomas Hagedorn, Technology Manager, Magirus Denmark

> Tim Mondorf, Business Development Executive, IBM Denmark

> Steen Rydicher, Office Manager, SKAT

> Peter Mandrup Jensen, Financial Director, The Capital Region of Denmark

> Vini Lindhardt, Deputy Council Director, Furesø City Council

> Ulrik Rosenberg, Director, Copenhagen City Koncernservice (Business Services)

> Marie Munk, Deputy Director, National IT and Telecom Agency

> Mikkel Dalgas, Director, APC Denmark

> Thomas Sjøstrøm Bang, Deputy Director, The Danish Ministry of Culture Administration Centre

> Henrik Brix, IT Manager, Favrskov City Council

> Henrik Brodersen, Group IT Manager, Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation

> Samer Khurshid Shaikh, Deputy Manager, Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation

> Lise Wormstrup, IT Manager, The North Denmark Region

> Palle Røgilds Scheef, IT Architect, The North Denmark Region

> Jan Kold, IT Director, The Capital Region of Denmark

> Niels Reichstein Larsen, Operations Manager, The Capital Region of Denmark

> Klaus Fribert Jacobsen, IT Project Manager, The Capital Region of Denmark

> Kenneth Roslind, IT Coordinator, Danish Maritime Authority

> Jens Rømer Olsen, Energy Manager at the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, UBST

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Reader guidance

These guidelines are divided into two main sections:

The first part consists of five sections about a number of topics and questions that public authorities and institutions often face when making decisions regarding Green IT and deciding which specific initiatives may be relevant to them. Here the guidelines outline the various aspects of Green IT and the political and strategic context and describe how the specific proposals can be realised and rooted in an organisation.

This part of the guidelines is aimed at both public sector IT managers and other public sector decision makers who are to make decisions about how their organisation can achieve a greener IT profile.

The second part goes into detail about five focus areas that can each help the individual authority or institution achieve a greener profile in the area of IT. Within each focus area there are a number of points to note, as well as specific proposals for action. This part of the guidelines is primarily aimed at IT managers and those with responsibility for IT in public authorities and institutions, but other decision makers can also gain inspiration from the specific proposals for action.

There are large differences between how the individual public IT manager or decision maker can make use of the large amount of advice and recommendations in the guidelines. Common Governmental initiatives such as Danish Government IT Services and the Governmental Procurement Programme mean that conditions applicable to Governmental authorities differ from those for councils and regions with regard to making decisions about Green IT.

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Green IT can be defined as research in - and use of IT - in an energy-efficient and environmentally friendly manner.

The Green IT approach can include several different phases in the lifecycle of a product – the development, production, usage and disposal of IT. Development must grant consideration to the environment;

the production must take place using environmentally friendly production methods; the IT solutions must be used in an environmentally friendly manner; and finally, IT waste must be disposed of in an environmentally correct manner. All of these phases are supported by research and

innovation in Green IT.

For the public sector Green IT is primarily related to how authorities and

institutions can use IT in the most environmentally correct manner – in other words how we can reduce electricity consumption and the environmental impact that is directly connected to the operation of public IT systems, servers, PCs, printers and

other equipment. But Green IT is also about the opportunities offered by new technology to steer the attitudes of citizens, enterprises and employees in a more environmentally correct direction. An example of this is the use of electronic self-service solutions, resulting in fewer citizens driving their cars down to the town hall. Moreover, Green IT in the public arena also concerns the environmental requirements that public authorities demand in the production and disposal of IT equipment.

This emphasis is reflected in the proposals for action and focus areas outlined in these guidelines. The main emphasis is thus on the public authorities’ use of Green IT, including the use of the new opportunities offered by new technology, while focussing to a lesser degree on the opportunities the public authorities have for influencing suppliers’ production and disposal of IT through environmental requirements.

Main points:

> Green IT covers the development, production, use and disposal of IT as well as research and innovation in these areas.

> These guidelines focus on the public sector’s use of Green IT and the utilisation of IT in new ways to take care of the environment.

What is Green IT?

These guidelines focus primarily on public

sector use of IT

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Electricity consumption is rising in line with the continued digitalisation of work routines and processes in the public sector. Electricity consumption for the operation of servers, PCs and other IT related equipment is responsible for an increasingly large proportion of energy consumed by authorities and institutions – and therefore of their contribution to total CO²emissions. Climate change problems and the general trend of increasing energy costs mean that authorities and institutions need to work harder to reduce the environmental impact from IT usage.

The international research company Gartner has assessed that the CO²emissions of IT on the global level are equal to the entire aviation industry. Due to its high level of IT electricity consumption the public sector can play a significant part in efforts to reduce CO²emissions from IT. At the same time big savings can be made. The Danish Electricity Saving Trust estimates that public authorities and institutions can achieve savings worth as much as four million Kroner each day by choosing energy-efficient products and thereby becoming more resource conscious in their use of electricity. In the same way local councils could save half a billion Kroner annually by choosing energy-efficient products when purchasing equipment¹.

At the same time a strong Government focus on Green IT will help Danish industry to develop innovative products and services that can keep Denmark at the front in the global competition for jobs and growth in the future.

There are thus many good reasons – environmental, social and economic – for public authorities and institutions to think greener in their acquisition and use of IT.

Main points:

> IT equipment is responsible for a growing proportion of the public sector’s energy consumption and CO²emissions.

> A focus on Green IT can help to protect the environment, while also achieving significant savings for the individual authority.

Why focus on Green IT?

1The Danish Electricity Saving Trust, October 2008

IT represents a growing share of the public sector’s electricity consumption

and CO²emissions

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For many public authorities and institutions environmental political initiatives are an integrated part of the planning process. As a part of the Agenda 21 initiative, councils and regions are obliged to prepare environmental action plans every four years, and a new plan period has just started. Agenda 21 is a plan for sustainable development passed by the UN that has a specific focus on the local authority’s role in relation to the environment.

One of the focus areas in the environmental action plans is the environmental impact of the authority itself. Therefore many councils and regions have taken the opportunity to focus on reducing electricity consumption in their buildings. One third of all councils and certain Governmental authorities have gone even further and entered into binding curve breaker agreements with the Danish Electricity Saving Trust to reduce electricity consumption by a certain amount over a number of years.

More and more Governmental authorities and institutions have begun to prepare energy and environmental audits. At the same time, through the circular on energy efficiency all ministries are obliged to appoint an energy manager, whose tasks include an overall objective for the development of the ministry’s energy consumption in the short and long term and to ensure the spread of energy efficient attitudes throughout the entire ministry area. In the same way a voluntary agreement has been entered into between the Government and Local Government Denmark (KL) on energy conservation in local councils. The agreement shall ensure that the councils implement the same methods of energy conservation that the Governmental institutions are obliged to.

The Government has decided that work is to focus on ensuring a specific reduction in the Government’s energy consumption of 10% until 2011. In 2011 the Government as a whole shall use 10% less energy than in 2006. To show that something will actually happen, Government institutions will already have their energy budgets cut; 5% in 2009 and 10% in 2010. These energy savings are reflected in the Proposal for the Financial Act of 2009, where a saving of 59 million Kroner has been introduced that will be divided by the individual ministries.

Green IT and the broader environmental political agenda

A focus on Green IT in the public sector

can contribute to increased innovation

in Danish industry

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Today Green IT is a mature priority area – both in terms of the strategic theory and the actual possible actions. It is therefore clear that in the future Green IT will be included as a natural part of the public authorities’

environmental political initiatives. Within Green IT there are a wide range of specific, proven initiatives and actions that can help to meet the targets of authorities’ and institutions’ environmental action plans.

Main points:

> In order to comply with a number of national and international agreements public authorities and institutions are obliged to demonstrate energy efficient conduct.

> Green IT should be a natural element in the primary environmental political initiatives for authorities and institutions.

> There are a wide range of specific, proven Green IT initiatives that can help to meet the environmental targets of public authorities and institutions.

If you want to learn more...

About Agenda 21:

The Agency for Spatial and Environmental Planning’s Agenda 21 website:

http://www.blst.dk/Planlaegning/LokalAgenda21/

About The Danish Electricity Saving Trust’s Curve Breaker agreements:

http://www.elsparefonden.dk/offentlig-og-erhverv/vaerktoejer-og-beregnere/kurveknaekker About the Government circular on energy efficiency:

http://www.retsinformation.dk/Forms/R0710.aspx?id=22422

About the voluntary agreement between the Government and KL about energy saving for local councils: http://www.ens.dk/sw56992.asp

Green IT should form a natural element of authorities’ environmental

action plans

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A central observation made by the authorities and institutions that contributed to the preparation of these guidelines is that it is an advantage if the strategies and initiatives related to Green IT are seen as an integrated part of an organisation’s broader strategic IT work. The consolidation and virtualisation of servers and increased use of thin clients², flat screens and portable computers by workers on the move are examples of specific initiatives that contribute to a greener IT profile and

simultaneously work together with the broader strategic IT agenda that has characterised the digitalisation of the public sector in recent years.

In the Guidelines to the Ministries’ IT strategies that were approved by the

Government’s IT council in June 2008, Green IT is also mentioned. It is stated here that the ministries must clarify whether Green IT is included as a part of their IT strategy, or whether a reduction in the environmental impact of the use of IT is to be achieved in a different way.

The desire to reduce IT related electricity consumption – and thereby CO²emissions – is not just a good idea from an environmental point of view. Increasing electricity prices mean that the current costs of keeping servers and PCs ‘on air’ makes up a growing proportion of total operating expenses. At the same time calculations from the Danish Electricity Saving Trust, amongst others, show that it is possible to reduce electricity consumption in server rooms by up to 50%. In other words there is a potential for a good business case for Green IT.

For Government authorities the establishment of Danish Government IT Services represents opportunities for consolidation and economies of scale that can contribute to making a difference – also in terms of electricity consumption and CO²emissions. Danish Government IT Services is a joint Governmental IT centre established in 2008 that in the future will be responsible for the development of general systems, IT support and operation of all systems for 15 ministries. Calculations made by the Ministry of Finance show that the potential energy savings – with the assumptions used – are estimated to be more than 9,000 tons of CO²per year – or an effect equivalent to approximately 30,000 trees.

Green IT and strategic IT considerations

Green IT targets can be incorporated

in Governmental IT strategies

2A thin client is a network computer that has been designed with less processor power and a smaller or no hard disk, because all or most software is held on a server. Thin clients consume less electricity than standard desktop PCs.

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Main points:

> Green IT – both the strategic decisions and the specific initiatives – should be included as an integrated part of the organisations’ broader strategic IT work. For example, the goal of Green IT can be worked into the organisations’ IT strategy.

> There is good business economics in Green IT. It is thus possible to reduce electricity consumption in server rooms by up to 50%.

> Initiatives that result in greener IT use often also contribute to fulfilling broader strategic IT targets and to ensure a more flexible and cost-effective IT infrastructure. For example this applies to virtualisation and server consolidation.

Abot the National IT and Telecom Agency’s guidelines on ministries’ IT strategies:

http://www.itst.dk/filer/Publikationer/Vejledning_om_ministeriernes_itstrategier/html/index.htm About the background, focus and plans for

Danish Government IT Services: http://www.statens-it.dk

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It is possible to reduce electricity consumption

in server rooms by up to 50%

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There are big differences in the extent of progress made by individual public organisations in work on Green IT, in the same way as there are also big differences in the organisational terms and conditions and other strategic initiatives that lay down the framework for the individual authority or institution. This means that there are major differences between how the individual public IT manager

and decision maker can make use of the advice and recommendations in these guidelines.

For a Governmental authority that expects to transfer responsibility for the operation of its servers to Danish Government IT Services in the next 12 months it is unlikely that there will be a positive business case in the comprehensive optimisation of existing server facilities. On the other hand there may be a latent potential for environmentally correct behaviour by employees in the form of replacing certain journeys and meetings “off-site” with telephone and videoconferences.

In the same way, a council that has already installed energy saving power boards and changed to flat screens and thin clients or laptops for all its employees will not be able to realise further energy saving benefits in this area in the short term. However it may be found that the installation of blank panels in the rack cabinets of the server room or a slightly higher temperature setting in the server room can reduce electricity bills without significant further investment and without affecting operations.

It is important to note that not all of the 29 specific action proposals are equally relevant for all authorities and institutions. Yet all authorities and institutions will be able to follow one or more points to be able to implement specific initiatives that help the public sector to achieve a greener IT profile. Furthermore authorities that have approved ambitious targets to reduce their environmental impact will have a basis for the implementation of a broader range of initiatives. In this regard the goal of the guidelines is to present the range of possible actions to the individual authority or institution.

As a supplement to these guidelines the National IT and Telecom Agency has published an interactive guide to Green IT in the public sector that with the help of a number of questions can provide inspiration as to which of the 29 specific proposals for action would be most relevant for the individual authority or institution. The interactive guidelines can be found on the National IT and Telecom Agency’s website at www.itst.dk.

How can my organisation make a difference?

There are big differences in how the individual authorities can use the

advice and recommendations

contained in these guidelines

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Main points:

> All authorities and institutions can contribute to greener IT usage in the public sector by implementing specific initiatives.

> There are big differences in how the individual public IT manager or decision maker can make use of the variety of advice and recommendations in the guidelines.

> Joint Governmental initiatives such as Danish Government IT Services and the Governmental Procurement Programme mean that terms for Governmental

authorities differ from those for councils and regions with regard

to making decisions about Green IT. All authorities and

institutions can contribute to greener IT usage in

the public sector

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How is Green IT rooted in the organisation?

For public authorities and institutions it is generally found that initiatives with regard to Green IT often involve several different units in the organisation. This puts demands on management to provide a secure basis for the green initiatives that are implemented.

For example, this may be the case for authorities and institutions that wish to reduce the IT related share of their electricity consumption. The responsibility for purchasing and operating IT equipment is often held by the IT department, while the responsibility for the organisation’s total electricity consumption is typically held by a technical buildings department. And while the IT department usually prioritises parameters such as performance and operational stability in both purchasing and operational situations, it is typically not as concerned with electricity consumption. In the same way the energy manager and the purchasing manager of the organisation also typically influence decisions regarding IT purchases – and this dispersion of decision-making competence over several departments and persons in the organisation underlines the need for a clear basis to be provided by executive management.

The experiences of authorities and institutions that have contributed to the preparation of these guidelines demonstrate that it is precisely the involvement and especially the willingness of management to look across the individual departments’ areas of responsibility that determines the degree of success when an organisation tries to reduce its IT related electricity consumption. In order to achieve the optimum benefits of a focus on greener IT it is thus important that efforts are rooted in the individual authority’s executive management and that they are highly enthusiastic.

Management must be ready to lead principal discussions and make decisions about structural conditions and incentives that may be obstacles to the individual department’s ability and willingness to introduce Green IT.

A significant element in gaining executive management’s involvement is to ensure that Green IT is not viewed as an isolated IT problem, but for example is included in the organisation’s broader efforts to become environmentally friendly. Many authorities and institutions point out that there is a far greater acceptance of a Green IT agenda by executive management if the organisation also agrees to a general green path. For the majority of public authorities it will thus be natural to make Green IT initiatives a part

Management involvement and cross-departmental

cooperation are prerequisites for success

with Green IT

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of the general environmental political initiatives carried out as a result of Agenda 21 planning and the Governmental circular on energy efficiency.

As mentioned there is a major difference in the organisational starting point for working on Green IT. The financial scope for implementing new initiatives is a decisive parameter in this regard. Many of the specific initiatives that can reduce CO²emissions and produce savings in electricity consumption and business expenses require initial investment in more energy efficient equipment. This can represent a significant barrier for Green IT initiatives for the individual authority or institution. As for other IT projects a business case should be prepared that shows the requirements for new investment and compares these with the potential savings, commercial benefits and environmental targets that the project aims to realise. In this way it will be clear to both executive management and the IT department what a specific project

contributes in relation to the required investment.

Another way to create a solid base in the organisation is to measure electricity consumption and set targets for how much is to be saved. The Danish Electricity Saving Trust recommends that a dedicated electricity meter is installed for the server room to show this part of the IT related electricity consumption as it is precisely the server room that often accounts for a significant proportion. With specific

measurement of the server room’s electricity consumption both management and the individual departments have a basis for determining specific targets as well as the opportunity to continuously follow electricity consumption (cf. the “Server room installation” focus

area.)

This angle also means that in the organisation one sees the focus on a more environmentally correct and energy saving use of IT as something that cannot be carried out at once by for example replacing all the hardware.

A solid base in the organisation can also be created by focusing on a green profile when

making purchasing policy and strategic IT decisions, for example by choosing the most energy-efficient monitors, computers and servers in connection with the continuous upgrading of hardware. Another alternative is to prepare an action plan for the environmentally and hazardous substances that an authority wishes to phase out for its IT equipment (cf. the “Procurement of IT equipment” focus area.)

Visible costs and benefits of Green IT with concrete

business cases

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It is important to make the authorities’ or institutions’ ambitions and targets for a greener IT profile

visible to employees to create a successful basis in the organisation. It is also important for the employees’

understanding of the initiatives – that may be experienced as interference in the individual’s daily work routines – that the employees can see the connection with the primary goal of a greener profile. Such initiatives can include central electricity management of employees’ workplaces or consolidation of ecentralised printers (cf. the “Greener employee behaviour” focus area.)

Main points:

> The successful realisation of Green IT requires management involvement and particularly willingness to work across the individual departments’ areas of responsibility.

> Specific business cases for Green IT can reveal the need for new investment and along with assessments of potential savings, commercial benefits and environmental targets make up a good basis for decision-making.

> Continuous efforts are required to create a greener IT profile. A real foundation requires the green IT profile to be included in the organisation’s other environmental, purchasing policy and

strategic IT decisions.

> The organisation’s employees must be able to see the connection between the primary environmental targets and the specific initiatives.

About the Danish Electricity Saving Trust database of consumption statistics from authorities that have installed electricity meters in server rooms, for example:

http://application.sparel.dk/ElWebUI/El/index.aspx

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This chapter covers 29 specific proposals for action divided into five specific focus areas. The specific proposals for action were found through documentation work, analyses and conversations with a broad sample of public authorities and institutions. The five focus areas are divided so that they basically take their basis in the day-to-day division of tasks for public authorities and institutions.

The five focus areas:

> Procurement of IT equipment: this covers five specific proposals for action in relation to green purchasing and disposal of IT equipment, including the use of public procurement agreements.

> Server room installation: this covers seven specific proposals for action in relation to reducing electricity consumption in public server rooms, including the optimisation of existing installations and new installations.

> Use of decentralised IT equipment: this covers seven specific proposals for action in relation to more correct energy usage of decentralised IT equipment such as printers, photocopiers, monitors and computers.

> Greener employee behaviour: this covers four specific proposals for how employees can be influenced in the direction of more correct energy usage of IT equipment.

> Innovative use of technology: this covers four examples of how IT can be used in a broader context to reduce electricity consumption and CO²emissions.

These guidelines cover each of the five focus areas based on the following template:

> Factual information and points to note, to help readers of these guidelines to make decisions about Green IT, for example by demonstrating the connection between energy labels and public procurement agreements.

> Proposals for action, to give the readers of these guidelines a summary of activities that can help to lead to greener IT use. The individual initiatives are roughly arranged in order of priority, so that the most easily realised and least resource-demanding initiatives are presented first.

Focus areas

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Procurement of IT equipment

This section includes good advice on green purchasing and disposal of IT equipment including the use of public procurement agreements.

Factual information and points to note

Common public procurement agreements are a good basis for the procurement of Green IT equipment, since the legally determined threshold limits for substances hazardous to health as well as the

requirements with regard to electricity consumption stipulated by the Danish Electricity Saving Trust have been incorporated into common public procurement agreements. This applies to the Governmental agreements under the Governmental Procurement Program and for SKI’s (National Procurement Ltd.) framework agreements that have the same requirements for environmentally damaging and hazardous substances as the Government agreements, and where the energy-friendly alternatives are marked with the Danish Electricity Saving Trust’s electricity saving label.

The Danish Environmental Protection Agency has drawn up guidelines about the environmental requirements that should be included when purchasing IT equipment. These guidelines are found at www.miljoevejledninger.dk.

Even if energy consumption is the most significant single environmental factor with regard to IT, it is also particularly important to be aware of the chemical substances contained in IT equipment. Therefore when purchasing and publishing tenders for IT equipment it is important to request information regarding the content of heavy metals (cadmium, lead, mercury), halogenated flame retardants and chlorine based types of plastic as well as plasticisers. If equipment marked with the Flower or Swan environmental label is purchased then chemicals, energy and other relevant environmental considerations have been evaluated.

Work is underway on an EU directive for a common set of criteria for the procurement of Green IT in the EU, that can be used as inspiration for minimum requirements and allocation criteria in procurement and tender situations. The goal of the EU commission is for 50% of public IT procurement to be green. In 2010 the commission will carry out a status analysis to determine how far member countries have progressed in terms of green procurement. This analysis is expected to be carried out every five years.

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When carrying out new procurement and supplier selection it is also important to examine the supplier’s offer in terms of disposal and recycling of unserviceable equipment. Disposal and recycling is included in the majority of offers when authorities and institutions enter into agreements for the purchase of new equipment – and it is therefore important to enter into dialogue with the supplier at this point. IT suppliers are legally obliged to bear responsibility for the disposal of unserviceable electronic equipment purchased after the 1st of April 2006. However it is up to the individual supplier to create the concept for disposal, and there can thus be some variation between suppliers. The authority must take care of disposal of equipment purchased before the 1st of April 2006 itself. In Denmark the organisation called WEEE-System

administers the schemes related to the disposal of electronic waste.

Another important environmental choice is between portable or stationary computers for employees.

Portable computers are generally manufactured to use less electricity, which may also make them relevant for employees who otherwise do not have a great need to be mobile during their working day. Of course this must be weighed up against general considerations regarding ergonomics that in the majority of cases may be addressed by connecting an external keyboard, monitor and mouse to the portable computer, using a so-called docking station if appropriate. As an alternative the authority can

consider if it is better to choose a thin client or one of the newer stationary computers that use components from portable computers and thereby use less electricity.

In the same way, in connection with equipping home workspaces the authority can consider if it would be better to choose a portable computer or one of the newer stationary computers that use components from portable computers and thereby use less electricity.

Finally the total lifespan of the equipment is a decisive factor in both environmental and operating cost terms. It is thus sensible to consider both the electricity consumption of the IT equipment during its period of use as well as the electricity and raw material consumption connected with the manufacture of new IT equipment. International studies³show that the actual manufacturing process makes up a major part of IT equipment’s total environmental impact. So on environmental grounds it will be appropriate for authorities and institutions to consider whether the general lifespan for IT equipment can be extended. Such a

3Ruediger Kuehr & Eric Williams (eds.): ”Computers & the Environment, Understanding and Managing their Impact”, 2003

The overall environmental impact can be reducedby extending the lifespan of

IT equipment

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decision must of course be considered in terms of productivity and operational stability, and equally must be reflected in agreements governing service and support.

The technological development that has taken place in recent years has meant that new IT equipment uses less and less electricity. For the individual public organisation the dilemma is that upgrading IT equipment will in itself often help to reduce the organisation’s own electricity consumption and CO²emissions, while such upgrading will simultaneously result in an environmental impact caused by the manufacture of the new IT equipment and disposal of the old. The question of how the lifespan of IT equipment can be extended and the extent to which the hardware upgrade is necessary must be the prime considerations for the organisation. For example, the lifespan can be extended by a wider use of solutions based on thin clients and the provision of the necessary infrastructure to support it. Or there could be a more targeted focus on the extent to which the upgrading of the organisation’s software results in bringing forward the need to upgrade existing hardware in the short or long term, and if the extra functionality outweighs the resultant environmental effects of the acquisition of new equipment.

About the regulations regarding the compulsory competitive tendering for the public procurement of goods and services: http://www.udbudsportalen.dk

About the Danish Electricity Saving Trust’s Electricity Saving Label Scheme:

http://www.elsparefonden.dk/forbruger/saadan-sparer-du/elsparemaerke About environmentally approved recycling enterprises:

http://www.genvindingsindustrien.dk/virksomheder.aspx About legislation governing the disposal of electronic waste:

http://www.weee-system.dk

About the Danish Environmental Protection Agency’s environmental guidelines for the purchase of IT equipment: http://www.miljoevejledninger.dk/index.aspx?articleid=+511+511

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About the Danish Environmental Protection Agency’s green procurement portal, which includes specific templates for tender documentation texts with environmental requirements and self-evaluation tools:

http://www.gronindkobsportal.dk

About the European Commission’s “Green Public Procurement” initiative, which includes the purchasing of IT and office equipment: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/gpp/index_en.htm

About the European Commission’s recommendations regarding the Energy Star environmental label:

http://www.eu-energystar.org/da/da_003p.shtml

About environmental labelling on the Danish Environmental Labelling website. In addition to the Danish Electricity Saving Trust’s electricity saving label the Swan and Flower environmental labels can also be used for IT equipment. On the website you will find a list of IT equipment that has been approved to use these environmental labels: http://www.ecolabel.dk

Proposals for specific action

In the following section seven proposals for specific action in relation to the purchase of IT equipment are presented:

1. Centralise the procurement of hardware and use common public framework agreements 2. Obtain lifespan costs when purchasing new equipment

3. Change from stationary computers to portable computers or thin clients

4. Focus on electricity consumption when purchasing network equipment and other basal IT infrastructure

5. Obtain green costs when upgrading software 6. Use energy-efficient home workplaces

7. Determine opportunities for environmentally friendly disposal of equipment in discussions with suppliers

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Proposal 1: Centralise the procurement of hardware

and use common public framework agreements

Focus area Procurement of IT equipment

What/how Hand the responsibility for entering into agreements and the procurement of equipment to a central IT procurement function

Why By centralising the procurement of hardware and using common public agreements it is easier to ensure that all IT equipment in the authority meets the standards for electricity consumption that one wishes toadhere to.

The common public procurement agreements create visibility with regard to the choice of IT equipment with low electricity consumption, as the Governmental Procurement Programme stipulates requirements that computer suppliers meet both legal environmental requirements and those of the Danish Electricity Saving Trust’s

electricity saving label. SKI’s agreements state that it must be ensured that the supplier in question uses the electricity saving label. In addition agreements under the

Governmental Procurement Programme stipulate specific requirements about avoiding the use of certain environmentally damaging and hazardous substances. Finally, certain suppliers of IT equipment have chosen to have their equipment meet the requirements of the Flower or Swan environmental labels.

About the Danish Electricity Saving Trust’s studies of decentralised procurement and green behaviour in your organisation: http://www.elsparefonden.dk/offentlig-og-erhverv/til-dig-som-

er/indkoebsansvarlig/indkoeberundersoegelsen

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Proposal 2: Obtain lifespan costs when purchasing new equipment

What/how Lifespan costs for IT equipment indicate the total of the purchase price, the total energy costs during the lifespan of the equipment as well as other cost for maintenance and service. You can calculate the total energy costs on the basis of the energy consumption of the equipment you are considering purchasing and the expected usage profile.

Why It is not always the case that the most energy-saving equipment also has the least direct purchase cost, but as a rule any price difference will be recouped during the lifespan of the equipment. In this regard it will be particularly challenging if the purchase of equipment and consumption of electricity are divided over two separate budgets.

About the Danish Electricity Saving Trust’s total cost calculations that can be used to calculate the cost of IT equipment over its lifespan:

http://www.elsparefonden.dk/offentlig-og-erhverv/til-dig-som- er/indkoebsansvarlig/Totalprisberegner1/om-totalprisberegneren

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Proposal 3: Change from stationary computers to portable computers or thin clients

What/how If a desktop computer is going to be replaced anyway, the IT department can consider whether it can be replaced by a portable computer, a thin client or one of the new integrated stationary computers manufactured using the same components as portable computers.

Why Portable computers are traditionally designed to use less electricity than stationary PCs.

The same applies to thin clients and the new integrated stationary computers manufactured using the same components as portable computers.

Proposal 4: Focus on electricity consumption when purchasing network equipment and other basal IT infrastructure

What/how When network equipment or other basal IT infrastructure is due to be replaced, the IT department can look at the electricity consumption of the models that otherwise meet its requirements.

Why There can be major differences in the electricity consumption of routers and switches used in larger network installations. In addition there is a tendency for newer equipment to have lower electricity consumption. If the network equipment is not new or is

otherwise due to be replaced, it can be sensible to look at the electricity consumption of different types of network equipment on the market. The same considerations also apply in relation to the choice of power supply and replacing the emergency power system, amongst others.

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About the Danish Electricity Saving Trust’s procurement guidelines for public purchasing managers:

http://www.elsparefonden.dk/offentlig-og-erhverv/til-dig-som-er/indkoebsansvarlig/indkoebsvejledning- indkoebere

Proposal 5: Obtain green costs when upgrading software

What/how If the IT department is already undertaking a general evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages of a software upgrade, it can be a good idea to also focus on whether the upgrading of the organisation’s software results in bringing forward the need to upgrade existing hardware in the short or long term, and if the extra functionality outweighs the resultant environmental effects of the acquisition of new equipment.

Why Many public institutions have entered into licence agreements with suppliers of standard software that entail that new versions of the program are made available without any additional cost apart from the regular licence fee. However upgrading the software to the latest version may have the unintentional side effect of increasing the requirements of the IT equipment, whereby upgrading the standard software may, over the short or long term end up resulting in an upgrade of the hardware used. From a Green IT perspective it is desirable to maximise the lifespan of existing equipment as a result of the CO²

emissions and other environmental impact connected with the manufacture of new equipment.

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Proposal 6: Use energy-efficient home workplaces

What/how All power supplies for IT equipment are not equally efficient. When the voltage is to be transformed from the 230 Volts of the electricity network to the specific voltage that the equipment is to use a certain loss can take place that is typically given off in the form of heat. The efficiency of the power supplies in the current equipment for home

workplaces should therefore be examined, as well as if the equipment is configured to make optimum use of power saving functionality. This applies equally to monitors and computers as well as to network equipment. A shift to using portable computers by employees will also lead to reduced electricity consumption in the home workplace and also provides the potential to replace two computers with one. Of course this must be weighed up against general considerations regarding ergonomics that in the majority of cases may be addressed by connecting an external keyboard, monitor and mouse to the portable computer, using a so-called docking station if appropriate.

Why Home workplaces are an area that have traditionally received little attention from IT managers with regard to electricity saving. However network equipment such as routers can in principle be switched on 24 hours a day despite the fact that they are mostly unused. It can therefore be a good idea to examine the home workplace and see if any equipment has a higher energy profile than others. However it can be a

complicating factor for the implementation of this initiative that the employees generally pay for their electricity consumption at their home workplace, whereby the workplace does not always have a financial incentive to carry

out this reorganisation.

All power supplies are not equally efficient

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Proposal 7: Determine opportunities for environmentally friendly disposal of equipment in discussions with suppliers

What/how When carrying out new procurement and supplier selection it is also important to examine the supplier’s offer in terms of disposal and recycling of unserviceable equipment.

Why Disposal and recycling is included in the majority of offers when authorities and institutions enter into agreements for the purchase of new equipment. IT suppliers are legally obliged to bear responsibility for the disposal of unserviceable electronic equipment purchased after the 1st of April 2006 and it is up to the individual supplier to create the concept for disposal. There is some variation with regard to how the supplier chooses to carry out such disposal, and from an environmental perspective and for the purposes of planning future disposal it can be an advantage to enter into a detailed dialogue with potential suppliers regarding the opportunities offered by their concept for the disposal of unserviceable equipment.

About the Danish Electricity Saving Trust’s good advice for establishing energy-efficient home offices:

http://www.elsparefonden.dk/forbruger/produkter/it-og-hjemmekontoret

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Server room installation

This section covers a range of good advice about reducing electricity consumption in server rooms, including the optimisation of existing installations and new installations.

The majority of public authorities today control one or more servers, which as a rule are positioned together to optimise the utilisation of the surrounding physical infrastructure such as fuse boxes, cooling and backup systems. However there is still a wide disparity between the public authorities in the degree of attention and the amount of resources that have been allocated to the installation of the server rooms. In addition, depending on the server room’s size and age there will also often be a number of constraints and limitations in the extent to which one can pursue ambitions of making the servers as well as the other physical infrastructure more environmentally correct.

As a general rule the public authority or institution should therefore assess each individual proposal for action in relation to the specific conditions that apply in terms of the building situation and the operation of the servers. The timescale for the depreciation of the individual investments can also vary depending on circumstances, and it is therefore necessary to carry out an independent assessment of whether a particular action will be profitable for a specific authority or institution.

There is a wide disparity between the specific initiatives that can be implemented to achieve a greener server room. Blacking out any south-facing windows, setting up blank panels in front of unused slots in a server rack and evaluating whether it is possible to run the equipment with a slightly higher temperature in the server room are

all actions that will be profitable in the short term. On the other hand other initiatives with a

major savings potential – for example the comprehensive replacement of cooling systems – will depend on whether the authority has a longer timescale for the investment or circumstances are such that it has to create a new server room anyway.

The experiences of many authorities show that there is a major environmental and operating economy potential in a consolidation of server rooms as well as individual servers. Virtualisation has paved the way for being able to carry out more server processes on the same machine than before, without this affecting

Energy can be saved in the server room without major investments

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operational stability and uptime. Furthermore technological development is moving in the direction of supporting the dynamic scaling of the server capacity to actual requirements, which indicates a general trend towards consolidation of public server rooms. It must therefore be recommended that public authorities incorporate initiatives for increased consolidation of servers and capacity/storage space into their action plans, if such measures are not already planned.

About server rooms on the Danish Electricity Saving Trust’s website:

http://www.selvtjekserverrum.sparel.dk

In the following section eight proposals for specific action in relation to server room installation are presented:

8. Install blank panels in server racks

9. Find out if the temperature in the server room can be increased

10. Consider scaling the physical infrastructure such as for example cooling and emergency power 11. Position the servers in module cabinets with dedicated cooling

12. Adapt the heat exchange system to the surroundings when locating the server room 13. Exploit the excess heat from the server room

14. Virtualise the servers and consolidate capacity/storage space 15. Clear up the server room

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Proposal 8: Install blank panels in server racks

Focus area Server room installation

What/how Small panels to block empty slots in a server rack are installed in the front to prevent the unwanted recirculation of warmed air.

Why Empty slots in a server rack can result in warm air from the server’s exhaust duct circulating back to the front, where the cold air for ventilation is pulled into the machines.

This means that the cooling system has to work harder than would normally be necessary.

Proposal 9: Find out if the temperature in the server room can be increased

What/how Allow the temperature in the server room to rise to the maximum permissible with regard to a safety margin. As the temperature in the server room varies, the Danish Electricity Saving Trust recommends that the temperature be measured at the point where air enters each server. For each degree with which the air does not have to be cooled, a saving of 1-3% of electricity consumption is achieved. Generally the suppliers of the equipment can provide the threshold temperatures for the equipment in question.

Why Many server rooms have been set up to supply cooling at a level demanded by older hardware. Newer hardware generally has a higher tolerance threshold for changes in temperature, and it can thus be safe to turn up the thermostat for the cooling of the server room by a couple of degrees.

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Proposal 10: Consider scaling the physical infrastructure such as for example cooling and emergency power

What/how Install the server room with a cooling system and power supply that is in proportion to actual requirements that can be expanded to a greater capacity when needed.

Why The physical infrastructure for power supply and cooling makes up a relatively large proportion of a server room’s total consumption of energy. Traditional server rooms were often equipped with a power and cooling capacity to cover the expected development in the authority’s requirements over a number of years. However the majority of power and cooling systems have a fixed output regardless of whether or not the server room is fully equipped. Studies point to a potential saving of up to 38% of electricity consumption.

About server rooms on the Danish Electricity Saving Trust’s outline for a positive list for server room cooling

http://www.elsparefonden.dk/publikationer/andre-publikationer/oplaeg-til-positivliste-for-koeleanleg- til-serverrum/publicationHTML_view

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Proposal 11: Position the servers in module cabinets with dedicated cooling

What/how Examine the possibility of positioning equipment that requires cooling in consecutive units, so that the excess heat is expelled in one location and can be directed and cooled systematically before being diffused into the room. Techniques such as close-connected cooling are appropriate for consideration in this regard.

Why If a server room is based on blade servers organised in a rack, it is possible to concentrate cooling in the rack cabinet itself, which reduces the amount of air that requires cooling. Since blade servers also generally have more efficient power supplies, a transition from conventional servers to blade servers can lead to savings of up to 20% of electricity consumption.

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Proposal 12: Adapt the heat exchange system to the surroundings when locating the server room

What/how > Powerful sun-screening should be installed outside the server room’s windows, if applicable.

> As far as possible the server room should be located on the northern side of a building, as it will then be shielded from the warming effects of the sun.

> Non-insulated, north-facing walls can contribute to heat diffusion from the server room.

> Any exterior part of a cooling system should be positioned in a cool and shaded location.

> Free cooling, whereby the cool outdoor air is incorporated in the cooling of the room is also worth examining.

> The room should not adjoin heating system rooms and other rooms with high temperatures.

> Small rooms are easier to heat than large rooms and therefore heat up faster if the cooling system should fail.

> The server room should not contain anything other than equipment requiring cooling that is relevant for IT operations. It is a good idea to remove equipment not requiring cooling from the room.

> The cooling system must be properly installed and serviced annually.

> Choose servers with low electricity consumption.

> Choose power supplies with at least 80% efficiency and preferably over 90% with the equipment’s normal load.

Why Factors such as sunlight, wind conditions and shade can have an effect on the base temperature in a room in the building. It is therefore a good idea to avoid unnecessary heat sources when positioning and installing a server room. It should be considered whether the surroundings can be exploited to contribute to cooling the server room.

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About the Danish Electricity Saving Trust’s design guidelines for energy-efficient server rooms:

http://www.elsparefonden.dk/publikationer/vejledninger/projekteringsvejledning-serverrum About the Danish Electricity Saving Trust’s good advice on electricity consumption in server rooms:

http://www.elsparefonden.dk/publikationer/andre -publikationer/gode-raad-elforbrug-i-serverrum/at_download/File

About the industry organisation Green Grid’s guidelines for energy-efficient data centres (in English):

http://www.thegreengrid.org/gg_content/Green_Grid_Guidelines_WP.pdf

About the American Environmental Protection Agency’s report to the American Congress on energy- efficient data centres (in English):

http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/prod_development/downloads/EPA_Datacenter_Report_

Congress_Final1.pdf

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Proposal 13: Exploit the excess heat from the server room

What/how Consider the possibility of using the heat from the server room to heat rooms in other locations by transferring it to the building’s heat recovery unit. The Danish Electricity Saving Trust has published a number of guidelines on how the installation and location of the server room is best achieved based on the desire to minimise the need for active cooling and maximise the utilisation of the heat generated.

Why Excess heat from the server room can reduce the energy consumption for heating the rest of the building. However, the implementation of this initiative can be complicated by the fact that the costs of heating and cooling the server room are not necessarily governed by the same budget manager.

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Proposal 14: Virtualise the servers and consolidate capacity/storage space

What/how In connection with consolidation through the use of virtual servers the following actions are worth considering:

> Modern server technology provides the opportunity to supply the same computing power with lower electricity consumption by for example embedding several processor cores in one CPU with one power supply. This opens the possibility for consolidating processor power using fewer power supplies, even before more demanding measures such as scalability and virtualisation are implemented.

> Storage space also accounts for significant energy consumption. By modernising or upgrading the storage space systems such consumption can be significantly reduced. In general newer disks are more energy-efficient than older disks, and in any case a single disk of a high capacity uses less electricity than two smaller disks with the same capacity.

> Put programs and server functions together on fewer servers with lower energy consumption (server consolidation)

> Group hard disks in a SAN (Storage Area Network) shared by the servers.

Why Virtualisation is becoming more and more common in public authorities’ server rooms.

Solutions to support server virtualisation are found as standard software from a number of suppliers today and the increasing competition in the market makes it ever cheaper for customers to obtain fundamental virtualisation solutions. When looking at virtualisation opportunities, it is also worth considering that new servers with

multi-core architecture can replace two or more traditional servers and offer the same performance with lower electricity consumption.

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Proposal 15: Clear up the server room

What/how Remove old equipment and units that do not require cooling from the server room and save 5-10% of electricity consumption.

Why Over time a large amount of unserviceable equipment can gather in the server room that is simply running on empty and in reality is no longer used by anyone, or has been switched off permanently. In the same way equipment that used to require cooling can be developed to run with lower electricity consumption, to not require the same cooling etc.

To ensure an environmentally optimum utilisation of the server room’s resources it is important that energy is not used on cooling equipment that is no longer in use or otherwise does not require cooling.

Use of decentralised IT equipment

This section covers a range of good advice about a more energy-correct use of decentralised IT equipment.

This means all IT equipment for the server room, including computers as well as peripheral units on the employee’s desktop, in the home workplace and in any decentralised institutions.

Look for IT equipment that uses electricity and is not thought of as a source of electricity consumption.

Many do not think about the fact that network components and other parts of the basal IT infrastructure are running 24 hours a day. For example in connection with the establishment of home workplaces for public employees thousands of routers have been supplied that presumably are switched on 24 hours a day.

When choosing such equipment it is important to look at electricity consumption as well as the potential benefits of informing employees of the potential savings existing in connection with the home workplace.

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You should also be aware that experience has shown that equipment without a dedicated user – such as for example public computers in schools and libraries – has a particular potential for green measures.

To the extent that updates of and service to hardware are based on the equipment being switched on and accessible for a period of time, for example outside of normal working hours, then of course arrangements must be made to provide such opportunities as a part of the planning of the efforts to save electricity.

In the following section eight proposals for specific action in relation to the use of decentralised IT equipment are presented:

16. Use time-controlled electricity saving profiles for PCs

17. Use time-controlled electricity saving profiles for printers and copiers 18. Use energy saving power boards

19. Change to flat screens

20. Consolidate decentralised print solutions 21. Make public computers thinner

Proposal 16: Use time-controlled electricity saving profiles for PCs

Focus area Use of decentralised IT equipment

What/how Use standard time-controlled tools for PCs to change the electricity saving profile according to the machine’s typical usage pattern, so that the hibernation threshold is lower outside of normal office or opening times. For example public PCs can be set to go into hibernation mode after a short time outside of the institution’s normal opening hours.

Why In most modern operating systems it is possible to use different electricity saving profiles for desktop PCs depending on the time of day. Public PCs are especially worth configuring in this way so that they change to a very strict electricity saving profile

Identify IT equipment that is switched on

24 hours a day

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Proposal 17: Use time-controlled electricity saving profiles for printers and copiers

What/how Find out about the possibility of running the authority’s copiers and printers in hibernation mode, and set these up to use this in an optimal manner with regard to demand.

Why The majority of printers are not constantly in use and have different hibernation modes. It can be worth seeing if the authority’s existing printers can be configured to enter a mild hibernation mode after not being used for a long period of time and full hibernation mode outside of normal working hours.

Proposal 18: Use energy saving power boards

What/how Connect PCs and extra equipment to energy saving power boards

Why Energy saving power boards shut off the electricity supply to external units when the actual desktop PC is shut down, which prevents external units from continuing to use electricity even when the PC is off. However do be aware that certain types of wireless equipment, for example mice, are typically charged outside of working hours, and that the IT department may need to have a service window for maintenance and upgrading more complicated external equipment such as for example routers.

About the Danish Electricity Saving Trust’s good advice on energy-efficient IT and office equipment:

http://www.elsparefonden.dk/offentlig-og-erhverv/produkter/it-og-kontorudstyr

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Proposal 19: Change to flat screens

Focus area Use of decentralised IT equipment What/how Replace CRT screens with flat screens

Why A shift from a traditional CRT screen to a flat screen of the same size can reduce electricity consumption by up to two thirds. Based on an electricity saving perspective there is good sense in replacing traditional CRT screen with flat screens. However the environmental impact of manufacturing the new screens does mean that the existing screens’ energy consumption should be included in considerations connected with such replacement.

Proposal 20: Consolidate decentralised print solutions

What/how Have one or more departments share a network printer instead of allowing each employee or each office to have their own.

Why A shared network printer can replace a large number of decentralised employee printers that have a particularly low usage ratio but continuous electricity consumption.

A consolidation of print solutions can also make it easier to introduce time management of electricity saving functions, printing on both sides of the paper and similar.

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