A new survey finds 21 percent of office workers don’t worry about leaving laptops, desktops, and monitors on all the time because they aren’t paying the bills, even though 52 percent recognize the financial and environmental impact on their employer.
The study of 1,000 UK office workers, carried out by Censuswide for comparison site Uswitch, finds that the estimated energy costs of office technology, such as laptops, computers and screens, vary by business size. Small and medium businesses may pay as much as £90.98 ($124) annually to run a single computer.
In addition 22 percent rarely or never turn their monitor off when away from their desks for extended periods. 21 percent rarely or never set their computer to sleep after short periods of inactivity, and only 33 percent adjust their brightness settings to reduce energy consumption.
Although 62 percent feel it is their own responsibility to switch off equipment when working in the office, 19 percent leave desktop computers and monitors on after office hours. Only 54 percent turn their laptop or computer off at the end of each working day, meaning more encouragement is needed to save businesses money on idle tech in the long run.
The IT department should be responsible for powering down shared devices like printers according to 36 percent. Interestingly 50 percent of IT and Telecoms workers surveyed believe that IT teams should be responsible for this — significantly higher than the average of 33 percent across all industries surveyed.
Ben Gallizzi, business energy expert at Uswitch, says, “Older devices are often less energy-efficient and can consume significantly more power than modern alternatives. Where possible, upgrade outdated equipment and ensure all technology is switched off during weekends, holidays and long periods of inactivity. Setting automatic shutdowns or enabling low-power modes can help prevent unnecessary energy waste.”
There’s more advice on cutting business energy costs on the Uswitch site.
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