Simple changes boost efficiency

The choices consumers make today are increasingly likely to include a green alternative, such as more energy-efficient computing and information technology. These so-called environmentally conscious options are becoming more accepted as people understand that they bring positive consequences for the environment while at the same time also delivering real economic and operational benefits.

Consider a prime example: the energy sector.

The process of burning fossil fuels to make electricity is the biggest single contributor to carbon emissions. However, Chippenham-based Good Energy, the only UK electricity provider whose fuel mix is 100-per cent renewable, offers homeowners the potential to cut their household carbon footprint by a third. As well as generating electricity from its own wind farm in Cornwall, Good Energy supports more than 1,300 independent wind, hydro, wave, solar power and sustainable biomass generators around the country.

The company’s green credentials also extend to its own business with careful attention to IT infrastructure planning and server performance.

“We source data from customers once or twice a month,” said Juliet Davenport, CEO and founder of Good Energy. “We have to maintain that data and, since many of our customers have been with us from the beginning 10 years ago, that’s a lot of data. It has to be stored safely.”

Davenport continued, “We’re developing a new system that takes weather feeds across the UK and lets us forecast which generators will be generating power on an hourly basis. That information is really valuable, so it’s really important that our systems are robust enough.”

The company explored a number of potential IT suppliers before reaching a decision.

“We needed good solid systems so we could provide good service to our customers, and we needed a company that understood our environmental approach,” Davenport said. “We looked at the top five providers, and Dell came out on top.”

Generally speaking, running computers and servers on your company’s network will likely cost as much in electricity as keeping the lights on in the office. As you replace equipment, the best strategy is to look for the most energy-efficient systems out there.  Dell’s latest Optiplex desktop computers, for example, are up to 80 per cent more energy-efficient than the previous generation, and servers are delivering dramatically more performance for up to 25 per cent less energy.

A few simple changes can lead to dramatically improved performance and energy efficiency, which makes for a greener business.

Editor’s note: This was a guest commentary by Chris Mullan, director and general manager of Dell’s Medium Business Division for the UK & Ireland. Mullan has been with Dell for over 10 years in a wide variety of roles.