Green PCs save money and environment

Tranquil PC says the computer industry should do more to help users save a fortune in electricity costs and reduce our impact on the environment.

The company's managing director, David Thompson, spoke to PC Advisor following Via Technologies' 'Carbon-free PC' announcement, claiming green issues were becoming more important to businesses and the general public. "A year ago, nobody cared about the environmental impact of technology.

Now Tony Blair cares and [California governor] Arnold Schwarzenegger cares," said Thompson. "For larger companies, the cost of powering thousands of computers can be more than their manpower costs."

Tranquil's systems are designed to be extremely power-efficient, with Thompson claiming some of his company's PCs consume as little as 30 percent of the power demanded by systems from some of the world's top PC brands. The company has already gained customers in the banking and local-government sectors and hopes end-users will also pick up on the financial benefits of power-saving PCs. However, he said the direct impact on the environment caused by carbon emissions was of more concern. "For end users, they're likely to buy these systems because they personally want to make a difference," he said.

Thomson said Tranquil PC cancels out the carbon emissions it generates. Carbon Footprint plants trees to offset the emissions generated by Tranquil PC's electricity demands and transport costs, as well as the CO2 generated by the machines it sells once they're in the market. "We know the 'carbon cost' of our business, and we know the amount of carbon a tree absorbs," he said. "We can afford to plant them, and therefore we can influence our impact."

However, Thompson said the IT industry in general could take a more proactive role. "We don't know the carbon cost of the components we use, and neither do other manufacturers. We hope companies like Dell will get more involved."