"Green" Computing: What Does It Mean to You?

Today I'm going to venture out on a limb and talk about a controversial topic. Whether or not you subscribe to the theory that global warming/human-induced climate change is threatening to destroy the earth, the reality is that a majority of those who make the laws at the moment do. Thus we can expect to see more and more government regulations forcing companies to "go green."

There has been a lot of talk about impending standards for the automobile industry that will require cars to get 35.5 miles per gallon and are anticipated by the current administration to add at least $1300 to the cost of a vehicle. Some say that cost will be substantially higher. I serve on my city's bond committee and in researching the feasibility of replacing certain city facilities, I was recently told by city staff that building according to energy efficiency standards adds 5 to 15% to the construction cost. At the same time, many environmental groups claim that building "green" adds little or no cost and that, instead, you save money in the long run. No wonder there's so much confusion surrounding the subject.

One thing is certain: everybody is getting on the "green" bandwagon, whether enthusiastically or reluctantly. And that includes the companies that make computers, as well as those that provide the Internet infrastructure we all use to communicate. Newer systems are generally more energy efficient than older ones; for example, Intel's new "Nehalem" based processors are designed to save energy, with Xeon 5500 series servers achieving a 50% lower idle power consumption than its predecessors. Other components do their parts, as well; DDR3 RAM operates at a lower voltage and uses less power than DDR2, and Western Digital now makes a "green" series of its Caviar hard drives that have variable rotational speed to conserve energy:
Green Hard Drive Loses Little on Performance - PC World

When our computers use less power, it's good news for all of us. Whether or not you care about environmental issues, less energy means lower electric bills, and I don't know anyone who has a problem with that (other than maybe those who own a lot of stock in the power companies). Figuring out how much it costs to run your computer requires that you know how many watts it uses per hour, how many hours per day it runs, and how much you pay per kilowatt hour. According to many estimates, a typical computer that's on 24 hours per day uses from 100-200 watts (with a 17 inch LCD monitor), which costs an average of $100-200 per year. That might not sound like much in the greater scheme of things, but if your family has two home offices for mom and dad (each with a computer that runs constantly), two kids with computers in their rooms, a media center PC in the family room and maybe a home server, it can add up fast.

So I think we can all agree that reducing the power our computers use is a good thing. But what about other ramifications of the green movement? One issue that has started to come up is how to get rid of our old computers and other electronics without violating new environmental laws. You can't just throw them in the trash. There are recycling centers in many areas but in some communities, you actually have to pay a fee to use them. Some hardware vendors will take your old system when you buy a new one. I've found that one of the easiest ways to get rid of old computers and peripherals, working or not, is to put an ad on Craig's list. If it's free, there's probably someone out there who will take it. Remember to completely wipe (not just format) the hard drive before you give a computer away, or if it has very sensitive data on it, physically destroy it and let the recipient buy a new one.

Although computers use electricity, the increasing use of electronic documents instead of (rather than in addition to) printed ones has undoubtedly reduced the number of trees cut down to make paper. Many people now do all or most of their bill paying online and many writers create and submit their work electronically and never make hard copies.

A big question is how much "greenery" will lawmakers be forcing upon us in the future, and in what form? In many parts of the U.S., power companies are installing "smart meters" that are touted as a way for you to have more control over your energy usage. These are apparently already mandatory in the U.K. However, the technology also makes it possible for the power company to remotely control your electricity usage. That is, if they decide that you use "too much" electricity, they can throttle you back to "acceptable" levels.

What's the next step? In the U.K., it's been proposed that the government conduct home energy inspections. Every year or two, your house will be inspected just like your car is today, and if you fail the test, you might be denied insurance on your property or not be allowed to sell it.
MoT energy check for homes proposed - Telegraph

And businesses can expect even stronger laws and regulations. A recent survey of European datacenter professionals indicated that they are very concerned about the impact of green regulations and how they are going to comply with the rules:
Survey: European Data Center Pros Worried About Green Regulations - Storage - Byte and Switch

Of course, increased regulations cost companies money, too - and they almost always pass those higher costs on to consumers. That means that if the cost of operating a datacenter increases significantly, the price of the goods or services that company sells will probably go up, as well. What about the prices of the computers themselves? If the government gets in the act there, and mandates that computers use much less energy than they do now, it may have the same effect that fuel efficiency requirements are expected to have on car prices. Have we seen the end of the free fall in computer prices? Will they start to go up again if vendors are required to make their products more and more green?

What do you think about the "green" trend? Is all of this a small price to pay in order to save the planet? Or is it all much ado about nothing? Or worse, has "green" become a multi-billion dollar industry in and of itself that no longer cares as much about the environment as about generating a different kind of green? How do you separate the hype from what's real?