Subscription Center
Jun 8, 2009 01:05 PM | 2
.jpg)
Employees at the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) appear to be ignoring their own energy-saving advice. The agency, which is authorized to spend $16.8 billion of the federal stimulus within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy alone, failed a recent inspector general energy efficienty audit, notes The Wall Street Journal's Environmental Capital blog today.
The audit, which surveyed seven of the agency's major sites, detailed the DoE's "efforts to manage information technology resources in an energy-efficient and environmentally responsible manner." It found that the agency was squandering enough energy on unnecessary IT to power 2,400 homes for a year, at a cost of more than $1.5 million.
Simple steps such as turning off computer monitors when they're not in use, as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggests, weren't being followed at any of the National Energy Technology Laboratory computers, and about half of the computer monitors at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee were set to stay on for 48 hours when not in use—144 times longer than EPA recommendations.
As the WSJ notes, the audit "highlights one of the toughest challenges in curbing energy usage:" changing peoples' habits. A study earlier this year estimates that nationwide, workers waste $2.8 billion in energy costs just by leaving their computers on when they leave work.
Department of Energy seal courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Tags:
computer,
energy
More News Blog:
Next: Should we spend stimulus money keeping Florida cool?
Previous: Women are underrepresented in cancer studies, according to new report
See what we're tweeting about
jmtsn I scored 44/50 on @Vulture's Arrested Development trivia quiz. Troubling. http://t.co/9vqrTM02m8
Horganism Great interview with Alex Gibney on documentary on Wikileaks/Julian Assange paradoxes. http://t.co/hqJjwfAwke via @Salon
sciencegoddess International Museum Day! http://t.co/CcvgqGnn46
Deadline: Jul 15 2013
Reward: $5,000 USD
SciBX: Science-Business eXchange, a joint publication from the makers
Deadline: Aug 31 2013
Reward: $100,000 USD
The Geoffrey Beene Foundation Alzheimer’s Initiative (GBFAI) is launching the 2013 Geoffrey Beene Global NeuroDiscovery Challenge whose
Powered By: 
YES! Send me a free issue of Scientific American with no obligation to continue the subscription. If I like it, I will be billed for the one-year subscription.
2 Comments
Add CommentTurn off your monitor yourself when you leave your computer. This is more efficient than waiting for windows to do it for you. Who needs a screen saver anyway?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisDepartment of energy is now involved in the failure of the government. However, <a rev="vote for" title="UPDATE: House OKs $2 Billion More For Cash For Clunkers" href="http://personalmoneystore.com/moneyblog/2009/07/31/cash-for-clunkers-extension/"> Cash for Clunkers</a> Congress has approved a further $2 billion to the program, so Cash for Clunkers will continue. The program was lauded by the Department of Energy, for promoting more fuel efficient vehicles, and dealerships for possibly stimulating auto sales. It has been lambasted by critics who claim the government is spending too much.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this