A recent Info-Tech study of over 800 mid-sized IT shops found that about one-third fully implemented an end user device power management strategy, across PCs, laptops and other devices such as printers and copiers. This number isn't surprising: In the past, electricity costs, especially in smaller IT shops, were of minor concern – in many cases, the energy bill was simply left in the hands of the facilities director or company accountant to pay and file away.
A growing number of IT shops now seek to quantify energy as an operational cost, just like line items such as staffing and maintenance. As the old accounting adage goes, what gets measured gets done – and both IT and senior management ranks will pay close attention to a total IT energy line item if it's made available.