Power Management for Utility-funded Energy Efficiency Programs

Numerous utilities include computer power management (CPM) information and incentives as a component of their commercial energy efficiency (EE) or demand side management programs. To put things in perspective, personal computers & monitors are the largest single source of plug load power consumption in most commercial office buildings, according to one NYSERDA study, and often account for 10–20% of total building power use. CPM typically cuts computer power consumption in half. For basic information about CPM, including how it works, energy savings, solutions for large organizations, and success stories, see ENERGY STAR Low Carbon IT.

Experienced EE program managers consider CPM to be an ideal first step for any commercial IT energy efficiency program, because CPM incentive programs are easy to administer, deliver real savings, and are cost effective. Data center and other IT energy efficiency incentive programs can be more complex and difficult to administer.

ENERGY STAR helps utility-funded energy efficiency programs take advantage of computer power management in a number of ways.

1. Educating your customers.

   • ENERGY STAR offers a wealth of information about CPM for you to include on your website, in your collateral materials, and in your customer presentations.
     • Example: Members of the Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnership (NEEP), including National Grid, Western Mass Electric and Efficiency Vermont, have included information about CPM in their residential bill stuffers.
   • ENERGY STAR can assist you with outreach by participating in educational webinars, seminars, and conferences for your customers.
     • Example: ENERGY STAR representatives participated in seminars on IT energy-efficiency hosted by Snohomish County Public Utility District. They presented the business case for CPM and fielded technical questions from facilities and IT managers. A number of schools, colleges, and other computer-intensive organizations participated and ultimately implemented CPM as a result.

2. Implementation assistance for your commercial customers.

   • EPA's ENERGY STAR support contractors can provide your commercial customers with free CPM consultations, savings estimates, and software tools. Their one-on-one technical consultations with IT managers have helped hundreds of organizations from across the US determine the best way to: 1) activate CPM settings, 2) ensure that sleeping computers still receive software patches, and 3) troubleshoot problems, should any arise. For more details, see the ENERGY STAR Low Carbon IT Campaign.
   • ENERGY STAR offers a free software tool that provides centralized control of power management settings for networked Windows 2000 and XP computers. For more information, see EZ GPO.

3. Information on a variety of utility-funded incentive programs for CPM.

   • Many utilities provide rebates and other incentives for the power management of networked computers. Some of these incentives fall under the umbrella of "custom" or "customer directed" commercial incentive programs that pay for a wide range of energy conservation measures. Numerous utilities have dedicated computer power management incentive programs, including:
     • Avista
     • Pacific Gas and Electric Company
     • Sacramento Municipal Utility District
     • Seattle City Light
     • Snohomish County Public Utility District
     • Southern California Edison (see page 4)
   • For additional information on utility-funded incentive programs, including who offers them, typical program requirements, incentive amounts, program promotion, customer interest and participation levels, and program evaluations, see the white paper, Power Management for Networked Computers: A Review of Utility Incentive Programs .

Contact powermanagement@cadmusgroup.com for personalized assistance with your CPM energy efficiency program.