Businesses and public sector organisations in Cardiff have received free expert advice on implementing Green IT practices thanks to a recent workshop held by Carbon Trust Wales at Cardiff City Stadium.
The free ‘Practical Introduction to Green IT’ seminar, which was also broadcast as a live interactive webinar, discussed the impact Information Technology can have on businesses’ carbon emissions and associated energy costs. The workshop focussed on demonstrating how to reduce energy consumption and save on energy bills in offices and other business premises.
Topics addressed included operational and behavioural changes, energy audits, staff training, and new technologies to reduce electricity consumption, with case studies detailing initial costs, improved efficiency and long-term savings.
One particular area of interest was The Carbon Trust’s research on heat gains caused by IT equipment, which can cause businesses to increase air conditioning wasting both energy and money.
Miles Thomas, environmental manager at Castleoak, attended the seminar. He said: “I was particularly impressed with the tips on improving energy efficiency in server rooms, specifically the opportunities associated with reducing cooling demand. This is a problem that many large offices face and the quick win ideas from Carbon Trust really made me and my colleague think about IT energy demand in a new light.”
Mike Batt, general manager of Carbon Trust Wales said: “10% of energy consumption in the UK and 2% of global carbon emissions comes from IT equipment. In a typical office, over 15% of the electricity consumption comes from office equipment and IT services. This then increases heat in the office, which leads to further costs being incurred through the need for air conditioning.
“Green IT practices can help organisations reduce their carbon footprint and also have significant financial benefits. We hope that the information and case studies in this workshop will help businesses to gain a practical insight into how to implement positive changes in organisations of all sizes.”
Carbon Trust Wales runs a series of workshops, seminars and exemplar visits throughout the year. For more information please call 0800 085 2005 or visit www.carbontrust.com/wales