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Opinion
Where Green and IT Meet
8/7/2006
By Linda L. Briggs
Here are some interesting facts you may not know: U.S. colleges and universities spend nearly $2 billion each year on energy, according to the federal government. And the Department of Energy (D'E) estimates that the average PC wastes up to 400 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year simply by running at full power when no user is present.
What should this mean to you? Simply this: As an IT manager, how much do you know about your school’s energy management program and systems – some of which are sophisticated software programs sharing the campus network? Although the cost of energy is soaring and computers are voracious energy consumers on campus, many in IT know very little about what their school is doing to save energy. That’s partly because most energy dollars don’t come out of the typical IT budget. The energy it takes to run PCs and servers across campus generally belongs to the facilities side, and is regarded as a set cost of doing business.
But those perceptions – that energy consumption is a fixed cost, and that IT isn’t involved – are both increasingly out-of-date. Computers are playing a growing role in energy management, as schools rely on sophisticated computerized energy management systems that rival the complexity of mission-critical systems on campus. Adopting a strategic approach to energy management, especially as new buildings are planned or retrofitted, can lower a university’s energy bills by 30 percent or more, according to figures from the government’s Energy Star Web site.
Computerized energy management systems, also called building automation systems or direct digital control systems, offer software and hardware specifically for measuring and controlling energy consumption. Some share the campus network. Others require dedicated servers and networks. Energy management systems typically connect with different systems across campus to collect data on everything from room temperatures, CO2 levels, and occupancy rates, to the energy used by soda machines and exit signs. IT can also play a critical role in helping to select, install, and manage these complex systems.
Still, what’s the bottom-line payoff when IT gets involved in helping select solid products for energy management? Answer: Significant savings to the overall university budget, which ultimately benefits everyone. IT also can make sure that the right products are selected, and can work with the operations side to help make sure the systems are fully utilized.
According to Debra Rowe, a professor at Michigan’s Oakland Community College who has been teaching energy management for 27 years, computerized energy management systems have been standard for some time now, but many of them aren’t being fully used. Reasons range from lack of staff knowledge or inadequate information from the system’s vendor, to an over-tasked facilities manager who d'esn’t have time to implement or manage the system. But Rowe, a fellow in
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