Michigan is the second state to join the Climate Savers Computing Initiative, a move that’s expected to make the State of Michigan more
energy efficient and save the Michigan IT Department $955,000 by spring 2009.
The Climate Savers Computing Initiative is national
effort to get states, non-profits and businesses to commit to using less energy
by using more efficient computer equipment.
The State of Michigan has agreed to replace 12,000 of the
state’s nearly 55,000 desktop computers and 200 of the state’s 3,700 servers
by next spring. Energy saving features, such as energy saving monitors, will be
turned on the equipment that’s not being replaced this year.
“It will take a few years before all the equipment is
energy compliant,” says Kurt Weiss, spokesman for the state’s IT department.
In addition to saving money, the state will reduce its
carbon footprint by producing approximately 9,000 fewer tons of carbon dioxide
each year.
Weiss says the energy efficient machines are more
expensive, but in the long term, the savings are worth the upfront costs. An
energy efficient server can cost between $30 and $230 more than an average
server.
“Obviously over time you get that money back through
energy saved,” Weiss says.
Source: Kurt Weiss, Michigan Department of Information
Technology
Ivy Hughes, development news editor, can be reached here.
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