[Pc_Support] Reducing Electricity Costs

[Derek Konigsberg]

> Is there any sizable savings in screwing with this stuff, or is it not worth
> the effort to calculate up how much power things draw?
While I havn't messed with appliance stand-by power, I have taken 
increasing interests in computer and HVAC power usage.  Also, I'm someone 
who has a very high electric bill which I've come to accept as a 
side-effect of my chosen ubergeek lifestyle.

Trying to reduce your electric bill often feels like a game of trade-offs, 
with the ever-present question of how much you care about recurring 
monthly costs versus immediate one-time costs.  The bottom line doesn't 
change as easily as you'd think.

Assuming you have no desire to reduce the level of service/functionality 
provided by equipment/computers/etc, I've found the following factors:

1) Variation in per-kWh charges (fuel surcharges do change)
2) Variation in climate that affects HVAC usage
3) Power draw of equipment
4) Cost of replacing equipment with lower-power equivalent(s)

You can't do anything about #1, and #2 oscilates over the course of the 
year.  You can affect #3, though you'll often find that due to #4 you are 
lowering monthly recurring costs by a small enough amount that the bottom 
line won't even out or drop for a very long time.  Then again, #4 can also 
be offset by lower-power equipment causing a reduction in HVAC usage.

In the end, its a game that is a lot harder to win than you'd think. 
These days, I try to reduce my computer-power to what I see as the minimal 
that won't lose functionality (so no huge power-hungry boxes, if I can do 
the same job on something a bit smaller).  Even still, my rack presently 
consumes about 1kW continuously, and my monthly bills range from $200-350 
depending on time of year.

(I've also noticed that managed network devices can use more power than 
you'd think.)

-Derek