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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
• Purchasing Energy Efficient Office Equipment
• Power Management
• Data Center Energy Efficiency
• Paper Consumption
• Extending Product Life
• Additional Resources

Overview

• Improving Operation and Maintenance of Electronic Equipment Old title: Operation and Maintenance Walkthrough
  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.
  
  
• EPA Region 8 Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) For IT Asset Management (Word) (PDF)

  This document provides a detail map of the process by which information technology (IT) assets are managed throughout their life cycle from purchase to final disposition. This guidance can help to reduce lifecycle costs of electronic equipment, streamline, and improve existing asset management practices.    
  

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 websites 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

• Power Management for Computers and Other Office Equipment
  This resource guide addresses common questions that energy managers, facility managers, and IT administrators have about the power management of computers and other office equipment.


• New! Reducing Energy Use Through Smarter Computer Power Management - PowerPoint Presentation
  A comprehensive PowerPoint presentation about power management options and how to apply them has been developed by the EPA and Office of the Federal Environmental Executive as part of the Greengov initiative.
  
  

• CSCI Power Management System Design Guide
  The Climate Savers Computing Power Management System Design Guide is a reference document on how to build energy‐efficient, power-managed client platforms.  Specifically, this guide presents guidelines and recommendations to achieve Standby (S3) state reliability, while reducing Standby, Resume, and Sleep latencies resulting in positive user experiences.

• New! Promotional Poster
  The Federal Electronics Challenge (FEC) has a poster available for download that can be customized and posted to educate employees about powering down computers at the end of each day: Power Down (PPT).

• New! Case Studies
  The Responsible Purchasing Network has developed two case studies that report on power management and decreased paper usage in office settings:
  • Law Office (PDF)
  • Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (PDF)
  
  
• 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.



• EPA Region 8 Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) For IT Equipment Power Management and Reporting (Word) (PDF)

  This document provides a detailed model for a standardized process to monitor and report on power consumption of PC monitors and standard IT devices.



• 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.



• Enterprise Desktop Power Management Standards
  These comprehensive standards were established by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in September 2008. The purpose is to establish minimum power management requirements that will result in significant reductions in the energy consumption of the thousands of Personal Computers (PCs) and workstations used throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Department agencies.


• Sample Language for Power Management and Powering Down Policies
  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.


• Sample Information Technology Standard for Power Management
  The United States Department of Justice has signed an Information Technology Standard for Power Management, along with a cover letter introducing the standard. This is an excellent example of a power management policy which outlines roles and responsibilities, implementation guidance, and a limited exemption process.

Data Center Energy Efficiency

• Report to Congress on Server and Data Center Energy Efficiency
  This EPA website and report provides data on current trends and costs of data centers and outlines opportunities for improving energy efficiency.
  
  
• Data Center Energy Management website, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
  This website provides tools and information to help facilities capture energy-efficiency opportunities in the design of new data centers or retrofitting existing centers. The website 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 website you can download white papers that provide guidelines, analysis, and metrics for energy efficiency of data centers.

Paper Consumption

• Environmental Paper Network
  This website provides educational materials and tools for evaluating and reducing paper use, and purchasing environmentally preferable paper.
  
  

• New! Promotional Poster
  The Federal Electronics Challenge (FEC) has a poster available for download that can be customized and posted to educate employees about double-sided copying and printing: Double-Sided Copying and Printing (PPT).

• New! Case Studies
  The Responsible Purchasing Network has developed two case studies that report on power management and decreased paper usage in office settings:
  • Law Office (PDF)
  • Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (PDF)
  
  
• New! Paper Standards Comparison Chart
  The Responsible Purchasing Network (RPN) has developed a Paper Standards Comparison Chart about paper eco-labels. There are currently over 300 unique eco‐labels that certify many different types of products. RPN created this Paper Standards Comparison Chart to reduce the confusion associated with environmentally preferable paper and allow purchasers to better understand the characteristics of relevant eco‐labels. The chart focuses on helping purchasers identify labels that directly address the environmental attributes of paper and paper production.
  
  
• City of Seattle Paper Cuts Campaign
  This City of Seattle, Washington website 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. 
  
  
• EPA Region 8 Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) For Network Common Use Printer Settings & Paper Consumption Reporting (Word) (PDF) 

  This document provides a detailed model for a standardized process to address the use of duplex printing and copying, and the subsequent data collection for reporting network common printer paper consumption.

Extending Product Life

• Extending the Life of Electronic Equipment
  This resource developed by the Federal Electronics Challenge provides guidance to agencies and facilities on extending the life of electronic equipment in use at their organization.
  

• PowerPoint Presentation about extending the life of computer products by Cate Berard, U.S. EPA
  
  
• 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.

Additional Resources

• Compressed Air Dusters and Environmental Concerns
  This fact sheet developed by the Federal Electronics Challenge reviews some of the environmental concerns related to compressed air dusters, which are commonly used to clean electronics.