Memorial Day Energy Waste

Ah, Memorial Day Weekend.

It’s earlier than usual this year, but no less anticipated. Warmer weather, backyard BBQs, and that blessed extra day off await many of us starting tomorrow night.

Next Monday, unfortunately, also means an extra day of energy waste for the majority of businesses nationwide.

There are an estimated 43 million active computers across the US in businesses of 300 employees or more, and sixty percent of those PCs, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, are typically left running at full-power after business hours.

That means the typical weekend PC energy waste will increase by 50 percent this weekend.

What does that mean in dollars and cents?

Those 25.8 million business PCs left on this weekend will burn more than 41,500,000 kWh of energy – on Monday alone.

At the average national energy rate of 8.9 cents per kWh, that’s $3,699,178 in wasted energy bills from PCs left on back at the office.

And the energy generated for those PCs causes carbon emissions of more than 35,620 tons.

That’s equivalent to 5,918 cars on the road annually.

Or 75,149 barrels of oil.

Or 3,667,887 gallons of gas.

If all of those 25.8 million fully-powered PCs and monitors were using SURVEYOR to power down PCs and monitors over the weekend, they could save close to 90 percent of the costs and associated carbon emission equivalencies listed above – for the entire three-day weekend.

If your organization isn’t yet using PC power management software, please invite your PC to join you in some R&R this weekend by turning it off before you leave.

Have a great weekend!