WASHINGTON—The National Governors Association (NGA) today announced an innovative clean energy partnership between the NGA Chair's Initiative Securing a Clean Energy Future (SCEF) and the Climate Savers Computing Initiative (CSCI), founded by Google and Intel, to spur deployment of more energy efficient computers and servers in state offices and agencies.

"The average desktop PC currently wastes half of the power it receives," said NGA Chair Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty. "Having states increase the energy efficiency of their computing equipment will save consumers and taxpayers money, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. This is another great opportunity where states can help lead the way to a cleaner and more secure energy future."

By joining forces, these groups believe states can achieve up to a 50 percent reduction in current energy consumption from state-owned computing equipment over the next four years. As co-chairs of the SCEF Initiative, Gov. Pawlenty and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius will be the first governors to commit their states to this partnership and will be sending a letter to all governors encouraging them to join the program as well.

Under the terms of the agreement, these states have committed to reducing energy consumption from a majority of their computing equipment by:

• Pledging to purchase high-efficiency computer equipment that meets or exceeds federal ENERGY STAR ratings;
• Optimizing existing computer systems by educating employees about more efficient and effective computer power management strategies, such as better using hibernation and sleep modes; and
• Ensuring in subsequent years states purchase computing equipment with increasing levels of efficiency.

"State governments across the country use significant amounts of computer equipment," said SCEF co-chair Gov. Sebelius. "By taking actions to reduce the energy demands of our own equipment, we can effectively leverage the purchasing power of states to achieve improvements in our energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction efforts."

In a typical desktop PC, nearly half the power coming from the outlet never reaches the processor, memory, disks or any other computing components. The wasted electricity is dispersed as heat and increases the cost of powering a computer, as well as the emission of greenhouse gases. In offices, homes and data centers, the added heat from inefficient computers can increase the demand on air conditioners and cooling systems, making the computing equipment even more expensive to run. Servers are more efficient than desktops, but still typically waste 30 to 40 percent of the input power.

Additional energy is often sacrificed because of poor power management settings. Even though most of today's desktop PCs are capable of automatically transitioning to a sleep or hibernate state when inactive, about 90 percent of systems have this functionality disabled.

Bill Weihl, co-chairman of the CSCI Board of Directors and Google's Green Energy Czar, commented on the impact states can bring to the effort: "By implementing the Climate Savers Computing Initiative purchase and use criteria, states will achieve significant reductions in their own computing energy consumption. More importantly, their actions will provide leadership for residents and local businesses looking to implement effective emission reduction policies. We're very excited to be working with NGA on this program."

Launched in July, NGA's SCEF Initiative enlists the efforts of all governors to enact meaningful clean energy policies at the state level. Under the initiative, NGA will develop and distribute a number of tools – including guides, reports, regional workshops and national summits – to help governors understand the specific energy challenges in their states and implement policy solutions that address these challenges. The initiative specifically emphasizes the role of public-private partnerships – such as this agreement with CSCI – to generate increased use of clean energy and advanced energy technologies.

CSCI, an initiative started by Google and Intel, brings together manufacturers, businesses, organizations and individuals to significantly increase the energy efficiency of computers and servers. CSCI is led by representatives from nine Board of Director companies, including NGA Corporate Fellows Dell Inc.; Electronic Data Systems Corporation; Hewlett-Packard Company; Intel Corporation; and Microsoft Corporation. NGA Corporate Fellow Unisys serves as an Associate member of the initiative.

For more information about the SCEF Initiative visit www.nga.org/ci. For more information about CSCI, visit www.climatesaverscomputing.org.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What specific actions are Governor Pawlenty and Governor Sebelius taking today?

The Governors are making a commitment to improve the power-efficiency of their states' computing equipment by joining with the Climate Savers Computing Initiative (CSCI). By doing so, the Governors will reduce the wasted electricity from the use of the state computer infrastructure. Minnesota and Kansas are the first two states to join the CSCI, and we anticipate others will follow.

The CSCI calls for two key efforts:

• First, for existing computers, the states will turn on "power management" functionality that automatically puts computers and monitors into a low-power mode during periods of inactivity.

• Second, for new computer purchases (PCs, laptops, workstations, and servers) the states will require these systems to meet the Climate Savers Computing Initiative power-efficiency criteria. For the initial year of the program, the PC requirement is equivalent to the EPA ENERGY STAR 4.0 rating; the benchmarks become increasingly aggressive with each year.

Why is this important to the National Governors Association?

As the 2007-2008 Chair of the National Governors Association (NGA), Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty launched the Securing a Clean Energy Future (SCEF) initiative, which enlists the efforts of all governors to reduce our growing reliance on foreign oil, reduce overall energy consumption through efficiency and conservation, and cut our nation's contributions to greenhouse gas emissions. More information on the initiative is at: www.nga.org/ci.

The SCEF initiative is guided by a Task Force of eight governors:

• Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty (co-chair)
• Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius (co-chair)
• Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell
• Florida Governor Charlie Crist
• Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle
• Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer
• Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell
• Washington Governor Chris Gregoire

One goal of the SCEF initiative is to emphasize the role of public-private partnerships, illustrated by the action taken today, to generate increased development and deployment of clean energy and advanced energy technologies.

How will other governors get involved?

Governor Pawlenty and Governor Sebelius have urged their fellow governors to join the partnership and use their purchasing power to lower energy use and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Every governor will need to conduct a review of their state's purchasing rules and other requirements to ensure they can make the commitment, but we expect that additional states will be signing on in the coming months.

What is the Climate Savers Computing Initiative?

Founded by Google and Intel in 2007, the Climate Savers Computing Initiative is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting smart technologies that can improve the power efficiency and reduce the energy consumption of computers. Participating manufacturers commit to producing products that meet specified power efficiency targets, and members commit to purchasing power-efficient computing products and using power management strategies. More information is available at: www.climatesaverscomputing.org.

What is the potential impact if all states participated in the Climate Savers Computing Initiative?

The potential impact if all states joined the Climate Savers Computing Initiative is significant. If all states adopt the efficiency criteria outlined above, over 291 million kWh of electricity could be saved, based on estimates of average electricity savings through power management and increased computer efficiency. This represents approximate savings of more than $20 million in electricity costs and almost 200,000 tons of CO2, based on U.S. estimates of average CO2 emissions per kWh of electricity.

What are the costs and benefits of reducing the power usage from computing?

Reducing waste energy from the operation of computers has both financial and environmental benefits. Turning "on" power management can save $10 - $30 per year in electricity costs and eliminate 200 pounds of CO2 emissions, at no cost. When replacing an old computer with a new system, there is a nominal premium for high power-efficient computer hardware, but that premium typically pays for itself in saved electricity costs over a period of two to three years. In addition, state bulk purchasing power is expected to narrow and perhaps eliminate any price premium.

Why is the Climate Savers Computing Initiative significant?

Electricity demand is predicted to increase by 40 percent by 2030 which, absent significant changes to business-as-usual, will raise prices, add to the demands placed on our energy infrastructure, and increase greenhouse gas emissions. Increasing the use of power-efficient personal computers and servers will help to stem the surge in electricity demand and lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Minnesota and Kansas are the first states to join more than 120 companies and organizations around the world who have committed to improving the power efficiency and reducing the energy consumption of computers.

Are computers available today that meet the CSCI higher-efficiency standards?

A number of systems meet the 2007–08 targets. A list of ENERGY STAR 4.0-compliant systems is available at: http://www.energystar.gov/ia/products/prod_lists/computers_prod_list.xls.

Most new laptop computers today already meet these energy efficiency standards.

How does this fit into other state energy initiatives?

States are increasing actions to lower energy use and reduce greenhouse gas emissions through efforts within their own operations. Such "lead by example" measures use the purchasing power of the state to lower total energy use, demonstrate the viability of clean technology, and prime the market for cleaner, more efficient energy.

For example:

• at least 16 states have set a green building and/or energy performance requirement for state facilities;
• at least 21 states require their vehicle fleets to meet efficiency standards, use greater percentages of alternative fuels, or purchase more alternative fuel or hybrid electric vehicles;
• at least 10 states have set green power requirements for state government whereby a percentage of their electricity must be purchased from renewable sources; and,
• at least 23 states have set energy-efficient appliance and equipment purchase requirements.

Founded in 1908, the National Governors Association (NGA) is the collective voice of the nation's governors and one of Washington, D.C.'s most respected public policy organizations. Its members are the governors of the 50 states, three territories and two commonwealths. NGA provides governors and their senior staff members with services that range from representing states on Capitol Hill and before the Administration on key federal issues to developing and implementing innovative solutions to public policy challenges through the NGA Center for Best Practices. For more information, visit www.nga.org.