It’s common to leave computers on all the time. People want their machine to always be there for them. The problem is PCs consume a lot of power — whether or not they are actually being used. Verdiem has developed SURVEYOR, a product that aims to help PCs be smart about power, save businesses money, and still keep PCs responsive.
SURVEYOR is installed on a business’ PCs and develops a profile of the computer user. In time it manages that PCs power settings. It will power down during off hours, power up before an expected morning arrival, and hibernate during work-hour break periods (like lunch).
In an informative interview on Treehugger the founder, Kevin Klustner talks about the product:
What does your product do? It’s smart, right?
It’s smart. SURVEYOR works by intelligently placing PCs into lower power settings when not in use. SURVEYOR’s Adaptive SmartProfile (TM) analyzes the behavior of the user. This information is used to control the power settings, ensuring that networked PCs are in right power state (on, hibernate, standby, etc.) at the right time. This maximizes energy savings without interfering with end-user productivity. SURVEYOR also features reporting capabilities to quantify savings.And how much can I save? I assume energy is the big savings but there may be others.
Verdiem helps save energy, but as we all know, energy is money, and it is getting more expensive all the time, particularly in developing countries. A typical PC consumes 600 kWh of electricity a year. We actually provide a money back guarantee that you will save at least 10 percent off your computing energy bill, but we find that SURVEYOR consistently reduces consumption by about a third. That translates into a 3-6% annual reduction in total electricity consumption. Additionally, organizations also reduce associated CO2, greenhouse gas emissions. It averages about $20 per PC, per year.What is the payback period and return on investment (ROI)?
Our pricing starts at $25 per PC – a one time licensing cost. The payback period averages about 15-18 months or less, depending on the cost of energy. However, we have agreements in place with several US utilities which provide various rebates to organizations that buy and install the software. Companies that take advantage of these rebates will see a significantly faster payback. For example, Southern California Edison offers a $15/PC rebate on SURVEYOR through their Express Efficiency program. Obviously, if you take advantage of this offer, the payback period drops significantly.
The product sounds awesome. Unfortunately, they don’t have Mac or Linux clients and there is also no way to get a personal copy on the site currently. If you would like to hear more about the power consumption of PCs Avi Geiger did an excellent Ignite talk on the subject.