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Oxford University developing freeware to save PC power

Tony Chan | March 25, 2008 | 0 Comments

Researchers at Oxford University aims to develop software that will optimise PC power consumption by making it easier for end-users and IT administrators to turn machines off when not in use.

According to Oxford University, up to 50% of PCs in UK businesses and institutions are permanently turned on, while typical workplace computers are only used for about 40 hours a week.

“No-one sits at their computer for 168 hours a week,” said Daniel Curtis, researcher at Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute. “When a computer is switched on, its power demand remains pretty much constant – regardless of whether its user is surfing the net, word-processing, or at home in bed. We are developing a system that will mean that computers only need to be switched on when actually in use. This may sound like a ‘no-brainer’ – just use the off-button – but the process is not always so simple. We aim to develop a means for managing computer power, which will inconvenience neither the end-user nor the staff manning the IT departments.”

The university is currently conducting an 18-month pilot scheme in its own departments and colleges as a test bed for energy-saving, greener computing practices.

‘With our package, we anticipate an average reduction in energy consumption of around 50 percent in the University’s stock of computers and a reduction in carbon emissions of up to 1,500 tonnes per year,” Curtis said. “An additional benefit will be cost savings – notwithstanding anticipated hikes in energy prices, we expect to save the University around £250,000 per year. We hope that, by making the software free and available to download, other UK educational institutions, and indeed any organisation that manages ICT systems, will take the opportunity to use it and significantly reduce carbon emissions.”

The project will be launched on 19 March at a conference entitled ‘Towards Low Carbon ICT’ at Oxford University’s Saїd Business School.

The technical architect of the project Dr David Wallom, from the Oxford e-Research Centre, explained the underlying system: “Current power management capabilities are limited to decisions on whether the system is being used, either locally or remotely. Within a research organisation such as Oxford University, computers can often be used in very non-traditional ways, making the basis on the decision to take a machine into the standby state much more complicated. The advanced system we are developing will remove this barrier: allowing the user, their departmental IT officer and the University, greater flexibility and control in running an energy-saving system.”

The pilot scheme is funded by JISC (Joint Information Systems Committee), a government agency set up to support the innovative use of ICT in research and education institutions.