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IT leaders including Dell, HP and Intel are uniting with environmental and energy conservation groups to campaign for a national strategy using information and communications technologies to boost energy efficiency.

The Digital Energy Solutions Campaign (DESC) has put together a policy framework to improve the energy efficiency of industry and government and encourage behaviours that reduce the energy use of ICT itself.

Congress and the new Obama Administration should establish a nation strategy, says DESC, including measures such as:

• Decoupling utilities’ profits from volume of sales to take account of how efficiently energy is delivered;
• Incentives for clean tech infrastructure such as networks for plug-in hybrid vehicles;
• Promotion of smart buildings that use less energy;
• Incentives to encourage home working;
• Education and promotion programmes for home energy management systems that can reduce energy usage by up to 30%.

A recent study by The Climate Group and the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI) indicates that ICT could help reduce global carbon emissions by 15% by 2020.

“Adopting policies that drive ICT implementation can not only provide a near-term boost to our economy but also help us achieve the long-term goal of making our economy more energy efficient,” says DESC co-chair Stephen Harper, who also heads Intel’s environment and energy policy.

For further information:
www.behindthegreen.org/
www.dell.com/
www.hp.com/
www.intel.com/
www.theclimategroup.org/
www.gesi.org/