Green desktop computing case studies: Oxford University Computing Services
The department owns approximately 300 staff, public and training room desktop computers. If left on all year they would consume about 280,000 kWh (~£33,000) and cause 148,000 kg CO2eq. greenhouse gas emissions. If switched off at the end of each working day the same stock would consume 60,000 kWh (£7000) and cause 32,000 kg CO2eq. greenhouse gas emissions.
The computing services department is committed to reducing the costs and greenhouse gas emissions that result from all its operations. The Director launched this effort by email in June 2009: important department instructions re. Green IT/Power Consumption.
If you have questions about this document please send an email to greenit@oucs.ox.ac.uk.
1. Staff computers
1.1. Setting up
- All staff are required to register their desktop computer(s) with the WOL facility.1
- All staff are encouraged to configure the HFS service to switch their computer(s) on just before a backup is scheduled and their computer(s) to switch off after an HFS back up is completed.
- Staff may also use the wake on LAN (WOL) service to switch their computer on automatically each morning.
1.2. The daily routine
- All staff are required to safely and reliably power down their desktop computer(s) and monitor(s) at the end of each working day, unless doing so would disrupt the operation of an essential service (please speak to your line manager if you are unsure).2
1.3. Before holidays and when working away from the office
- If you have set your computer to be switched on automatically by the WOL service you should remember to disable this schedule before you go on away from the office e.g. on holiday or to a conference.
- If you switch your computer on remotely using the WOL Service please remember to switch it off remotely afterwards.
1.4. Monitoring and reporting
- All staff can see how their individual efforts are being reciprocated by others in the department using the graph generated by the power monitoring service.
- All staff can see plots of actual energy use across the University using the Ion Enterprise service or another meter data visualisation service developed by the Environmental Change Institute.
2. Training rooms
Management of the objectives relating to training room computers are the responsibility of the ITLP Technical Advisory Group (ITAG) who will report to the computing services senior management group.
- All Windows computers are switched on and off together using central management software. Computers are switched on in this way manually before the teaching starts and after the last session of the day.
- Power Manager is used to turn all Apple computers off automatically at specific periods of the day. All monitors and computers are automatically put into sleep/standby mode after 15 and 30 minutes respectively.
3. Public access facilities
Management of the objectives relating to public access facilities are the responsibility Help Centre - ICT Support Team Liaison Group who will report to the computing services senior management group.
4. Life-cycle considerations
Management of the objectives relating to the procurement, re-use, recycling, and disposal of desktop computers is the responsibility of the ICT Support and Buildings teams who will report to the computing services senior management group.
- Where appropriate, IT equipment that is in a good state of repair will be advertised on the University 'SwapShop' website (https://register.oucs.ox.ac.uk/self/swapshop).
