PC Power Management

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to explore the area surrounding computer energy consumption. After reviewing general background on related fields we measured energy consumption among different computers and monitors. Based on the results we constructed a survey aimed at Swedish schools. Using a quantitative approach we draw some conclusions, a majority of the respondents lacked someone responsible of shutting down computers after hours; even more lacked a tool to do so. With the help of our survey result we demonstrate how organization could reduce energy waste and receive financial benefits, with a minimal effort. To enhance the power management in an environment with computer networks we introduced related techniques and describe how they operate. We then suggest a centralized solution based on open source. Our intention is to provide references and discuss several of the open source implementations that freely exist.