What Going Green is Worth to Feds

The pressure to go green â€" adopting policies, processes and technologies that reduce energy consumption -- is building, as Government Executive reported last year. Study after study has shown how much U.S. companies and the federal government can save by using more efficient computer equipment â€" and it’s not insignificant.

Now, two more studies released this week pile on to the findings. The federal government could save about $960 million over five years if it adopts green technologies such as virtualization, consolidating servers and dynamic smart cooling, according to an article published by InformationWeek. Another study found that the federal government could save about $330 million over five years "by using more energy efficient PCs, specifically those that meet the Environmental Protection Agency's more stringent Energy Star standards that went into effect last July," according to the article.

Or, in other terms:

The annual savings by the feds using more energy efficient PCs would be equivalent to conserving 1.3 billion barrels of oil. Over four years, the report estimates the cost savings would be equivalent [to providing] 28,537 Americans with Social Security benefits for a year, or more than 989 million meals "to the hungry."

The studies were underwritten by the technology companies Hewlett-Packard and Intel.