by jbs082209 f3 — August 26, 2009—Dell expects to save an estimated $5.8 million a year as a result of power-saving initiatives and building upgrades in its facilities worldwide. The company, which sources more than 25 percent of its global energy needs from renewable sources, is also piloting solar projects on select campuses to incorporate even more renewable energy in its operations.
By the end of 2009, Dell expects to cut its global power use by around 48 million kilowatt hours per year, enough energy to power more than 4,000 average American homes for one year. It will accomplish this through a combination of building upgrades, power management strategies, and IT solutions:
- PC power-down: Dell installed 1E NightWatchman and SMSWakeUp software on 50,000 of its desktop and notebook computers. NightWatchman turns off computers overnight, and SMSWakeUp repowers machines from a centralized command the next morning.
- Lighting: In office and manufacturing areas, Dell’s facilities team has replaced three-bulb T8 fluorescent lights and incandescent bulbs with two-bulb T5 fluorescents. In parking lots, they have installed pulse-start ballasts on the lights. They are also piloting the use of energy-efficient light-emitting diode (LED) lights in the elevators.
- Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC): In addition to installing solar window films and improving insulation to keep buildings cooler, Dell has made a number of HVAC improvements, such as installing variable frequency drives on pumps and fans in its ventilations systems and installing variable air volume units.
- Building automation: Dell expects to achieve around $1.5 million in annual energy savings by automatically turning off lighting and air conditioning systems during non-peak operational hours, and by fine-tuning the settings on water heaters, air conditioner chillers, and building thermostats.
Dell is also launching solar pilot projects around the world to determine new ways it can incorporate more renewable energy into its operations.
