Personal computers have become a necessity in our society.  When you think of an office what comes to mind?  Fax machines, PCs, monitors, servers, printers, and copiers.  All of the previously listed technological devices help generate the energy consumption of a company.  Personal computers total cost of ownership (TCO) is quite expensive.  TCO of a computer includes the maintenance, repairing of hardware, installing and updating software, and powering the computing infrastructure.  The money spent on power bills may be the most costly part of ownership.  The computer and its monitor are the commercial sector’s most rapidly increasing energy device.  A large part of all energy consumed is by computers.
   
In 1999 and 2000 research proved that the Internet along with the information and communication technology (ITC) equipment required to support it was responsible for 8% of U.S. electrical power consumption.  Other research has been done since then with results not concurrent with their findings.  Although the numbers for the two researches do not match, PC’s remain the largest contributor to plug load electricity representing approximately 9% of electricity consumed nationwide in commercial buildings. 
   
Much of the energy that is consumed is wasted.  Computers are often left running during nights, weekends, and extended periods of user absence.  There are 71 million PC’s and monitors in the U.S., not including those in residential homes.  These devices consume 41.8 billion-kilowatt hours (kWh) according to an ADL research.  This is equivalent to:
·    16% of the total consumption of California in 1999
·    The total combined electrical generation of New York state’s six nuclear power plants

The same report also forecasts a continuing increase in the consumption of energy in the office equipment category.  By the year 2010 there is estimated to be 135 billion kWh a year consumed for PC devices.  Computers and their monitors will on average waste half of the energy they consume, when compared to actual demand.  The average PC/monitor combination consumes between 400 and 700 kWh per year.  As much as 100-300kWh of this energy is lost to inefficiency, because computers consume energy even when no one is using it. 
   
There have been attempts to minimize the waste of power by computers.  In the mid 1990s advanced power management (APM) allowed computers and monitors to slip into lower-power states when they were not in active use.  Instantly available PC or IAPC was introduced in 2001.  Many companies fail to realize the energy savings they except, because of the misuse of the power management features  Employees often reset or override the energy-saving features. 
   
The power management systems that are available are capable of reducing energy consumption as long as users keep them enabled and active.  Only 25% of commercial PC users enable the energy management capabilities on their systems today.  If 100% of commercial PC users simply enabled their existing power management system the savings would be overwhelming.  The savings could reach 17 billion kWh per year.  Enforcing a nighttime shutdown requirement can save a year another 7 billion kWh.  The commercial sector wastes 24 billion kWh of energy, while public institutions may waste a few billion kWh.  Based on the nations average energy rate of $0.0725 per kWh the waste can reach $2 billion a year.
   
What are some solutions to saving energy that we all can do?
·    Don’t keep your computer on unless they are being used
·    Use energy saving features
·    Consider energy efficiency when making new purchases