Resources – Operations & Maintenance

The resources below are provided to assist in improving the operations and maintenance of electronic equipment, including power management and paper consumption. This section also includes resources designed to help your organization extend the life of its equipment.  Partners should also check to see if their state has additional requirements or technical assistance opportunities. [Go to State Links.]

Equipment donation and recycling resources can be found under end-of-life management.  Additional resources will be added to this section as they are developed or identified.

Overview

• How to Improve Operations and Maintenance
  This tool was developed by the Federal Electronics Challenge and walks through some simple steps that your facility can take to improve the operation and maintenance of your electronics in three areas: energy conservation and efficiency; printing and copying; and extending product life.
  
  
• Information Technology Asset Management
  Information technology (IT) asset management can help reduce the life-cycle costs of electronic equipment. This guidance was developed by the Federal Electronics Challenge.  It can help organizations improve their existing IT asset management practices, or to develop a new IT asset management process.

Purchasing Energy Efficient Office Equipment

• Computer Equipment
  All EPEAT™-registered products are, by definition, ENERGY STAR® qualified.  Visit www.epeat.net for a complete listing and searchable database of EPEAT™-registered products.  For more information on ENERGY STAR® requirements, click on links below.

  Computers and Notebooks

  Monitors

• Imaging Equipment
  New ENERGY STAR® specifications for imaging equipment became effective in April 2007.  Visit the Web sites linked below to learn more about new specifications for printers, copiers, fax machines and scanners, and find ENERGY STAR® qualified equipment.

  Copiers and Fax Machines

  Printers, Scanners, All-In-One Devices
  

• Enterprise Servers and Data Centers
  This link highlights initiatives of the ENERGY STAR® program to promote energy efficiency for enterprise servers and data centers.

Power Management

• ENERGY STAR® Power Management Website
  Learn how computer power management, or “sleep” features can save your organization as much as $75 per system annually. Instructions, software, savings calculators, and other resources are available at the ENERGY STAR® Power Management Website.
  
  
• Answers to Frequent Questions: "Enabling" ENERGY STAR® Features and Power Management
  This document, developed by the Federal Electronics Challenge program, provides basic tips on "enabling" ENERGY STAR® features on computers and power management settings.
  
  
• New York Energy $martSM Offices Project
  This project of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) outlines in detail six steps to developing and implementing an energy saving program. The site includes sample fact sheets for outreach to different stakeholders, a power management calculator to estimate cost savings, and case studies of city, school district and university energy efficiency initiatives.
  
  
• Strategies for Energy-Efficient Use of Computers and Other Plug-Load Equipment
  This PowerPoint presentation by the New York State Energy and Resource Development Authority was presented on the May 15, 2008, SEC Partner Teleconference. It provides an excellent introduction to power consumption and energy efficiency strategies for computers and other office equipment. Case studies illustrate cost savings opportunities for different equipment types found in offices, universities, and school districts.

• Personal Computer Energy Savings Policy
  This document developed by the Federal Electronics Challenge outlines the benefits of personal computer power management and provides sample language for an Energy Saving Policy focused on personal computers.

Data Center Energy Efficiency

• Report to Congress on Server and Data Center Energy Efficiency
  This EPA Web site and report provides data on current trends and costs of data centers and outlines opportunities for improving energy efficiency.
  
  
• Data Center Energy Management Web Site, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
  This Web site provides tools and information to help facilities capture energy-efficiency opportunities in the design of new data centers or retrofitting existing centers. The Web site includes best practices checklists, self-benchmarking tools, and case studies.
  
  
• The Green Grid
  The Green Grid is a consortium of information technology companies and professionals seeking to lower the overall consumption of power in data centers. On their Web site you can download white papers that provide guidelines, analysis, and metrics for energy efficiency of data centers.

Paper Consumption

• Environmental Paper Network
  This Web site provides educational materials and tools for evaluating and reducing paper use, and purchasing environmentally preferable paper.
  
  
• City of Seattle Paper Cuts Campaign
  This City of Seattle, Washington Web site provides a wealth of information about paper conservation and best practices in the City of Seattle and beyond. From the site, you can access Seattle’s paper policies and Executive Order, as well as Frequently Asked Questions.  The resource page also provides links to federal, regional, state, and university paper conservation programs and best practices.

• Environmental Defense Paper Calculator
  Environmental Defense’s Paper Calculator is a web-based tool that enables companies, communities, schools other organizations to understand and improve their daily paper use. For each of thirteen major grades of paper and paperboard, it allows the user to compare the environmental impacts of papers made with different levels of recycled content, and to see how using less paper or changing other specifications can reduce environmental impacts. 

Extending Product Life

• Keeping Old Computers Alive
  This article by TechSoup provides tips on increasing the useful life of computers by performing simple tasks such as removing unnecessary software, keeping anti-virus and anti-spyware programs up to date, and upgrading hardware.