A small to medium sized business running 50 computers could save around 5 tons of CO2 and over $1000 per year of electricity by using the ecobutton™ for just 2 hours per day. A larger business operating 1000 PCs or more could save over $20,000 and prevent a staggering 100 tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere just by using the ecobutton™ for 2 hours each day. Remember, this does not include the times when PCs may be left running all night and over the weekend, if ecobutton™ is used during these times the savings could be much higher.

2 hours might seem a lot but the time your computer is left idle soon adds up. For a start your lunch break is going to be about 1 hour, now include a few phone calls, say 30 minutes per day, a couple of trips to the toilet, another 15 minutes, and that meeting you've been hoping to avoid and soon enough your computer has been left running alone for at least 2hrs.

A domestic user running a single computer can make an equally valuable contribution to the environment by saving over *650 pounds of CO2 per year and approximately *$30-50 in electricity per year just by using the ecobutton™ regularly.

Indirect savings can be made with air conditioning systems as they do not have to work so hard as less heat is generated from computers that are actively using the ecobutton™. Because the ecobutton™ stays illuminated even during ecomode, this can provide a useful reminder that all unnecessary computers, lighting, heating and air conditioning etc... should be be switched off at the end of the day.

Savings Calculator

Use the savings calculator below to see how much carbon, electricity and money you could save with regular use of the ecobutton™. Adjust the default INPUT INFORMATION in blue to match your usage. The default information already provided assumes an average and has been compiled from various sources - see information at the bottom of this page for details. You can also save the calculator as an Excel document for use offline, just click the 'save as Excel' option.

NOTES:

INPUT figure B 'Average Watts per computer' will depend on the type of computer you have and will vary depending on the type of work you do on it. Some computers use more power than others. Most desktop computers fall into the range of 60-300 Watts. Laptops are less.
Further useful information about computer and monitor power consumption is provided at the following link http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/computers.html (ecobutton™ is not responsible for information provided on external links)

INPUT figure D 'Watts rating per monitor' - the default figure assumes a 17'' LCD monitor. CRT monitors use more.
For more information on your computer and monitor watts rating check your equipment for any information labels or check your machine's documentation.

INPUT figure E 'Average cost per KW hour of electricity' - the default figure assumes an average. Check your electricity bill or with your supplier to get an exact figure for the charges you pay.

INPUT figure F 'Carbon Units produced per kWh of electricity' - the dedault figure shown is average for your Country. Figures vary per Country and by area - for a more accurate estimate of carbon units please refer to our resources page here >> Carbon Resources