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In a study conducted by Harris Interactive, researchers found executives recognized energy-efficiency in the data center as a buying priority, but the majority of survey respondents admitted they were not aware of how much their company was spending on energy costs or the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions they were releasing into the environment.
According to the study, which queried 197 executives in U.S. companies with annual revenue at $1 billion or more, 76 percent of the respondents voted that energy-efficient products had increased as a buying priority, with 23 percent of those respondents noting they had increased significantly. In comparison, 63 percent of the executives are unaware of how much they are spending on energy or GHG emissions. Of those involved in data center purchases, 38 percent are unaware of both of these factors. Also, 61 percent of the respondents say a utility rebate would make them more likely to purchase energy-efficient products.
“With over 20 percent of data center costs now attributed to power and cooling, it’s encouraging to see that executives at all levels are looking at ways to address energy efficiency. That being said, more education needs to be done at all levels to clearly understand just how much of an impact companies can make by moving toward green solutions,” said Dave Douglas, vice president of eco responsibility, Sun Microsystems.
Sun is offering an incentive for companies to replace their equipment with energy-efficient equipment. Every customer who replaces their old equipment with an energy-efficient unit from Sun Microsystems will receive a rebate.
With the need for energy-efficient solutions rising, Sun seems to have capitalized on the results of the survey. However, competitors are following suit. In the end, though, energy-efficient solutions offer an inherent rebate that comes in the form of a lower electric bill. EC