Use Energy Star's Computer Power Management (CPM)

School administrators, like everyone else, are looking for ways to do more with less. One way to free up hundreds or even thousands of dollars with little or no upfront cost is to activate computer power management (CPM) features on all PCs and laptops within your district’s network. Activating power management on a computer and monitor can save your school district $60 – $100 per computer per year, which can add up to serious savings. And by saving energy, you're preventing air pollution and helping the environment.

•       The Spring Branch Independent School District in Houston, Texas is saving $230,000 a year thanks to activating sleep settings on 7,000 machines.
•       The North Thurston Public Schools in Thurston County, Washington is saving $45,000 after activating sleep settings on 4,000 machines.

Here's how it works: CPM features automatically place monitors and computers into a low-power "sleep mode" after a period of inactivity. Moving the mouse or tapping the keyboard "wakes" the computer and monitor in seconds.   While these features are built into almost every modern operating system, they must be activated.

The US EPA ENERGY STAR Program offers free software and free technical assistance to help school districts activate power management features. For more information, contact Lena Goodwin, lgoodwin@beaconconsultants.com or go to: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=power_mgt.pr_power_mgt_low_carbon_join