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A number of utilities are available that enable system administrators to easily manage
power settings. These utilities usually enable sleep features built into prevalent operating
systems and allow a computer to go into low-power-consuming sleep mode.

NOTE Even if you don’t want to spend money on an application or don’t trust the freeware out
there, Policy Manager on Windows lets you establish power settings for your users.

It’s estimated that these toolkits can save between $10 and $50 per computer per year.
Bigger Drives
Another technological boon that can help you conserve power is to ditch all your older,
smaller hard drives and install a new, bigger one. PART II
Serial ATA (SATA) drives use about 50 percent less power per terabyte (TB) than Fibre
Channel drives. They are also higher in storage density, which also helps reduce power
consumption.
For instance, if you replace 11 legacy drives with a modern, high-capacity drive, you get
a 16 percent increase on capacity and use 81 percent less power. Further, you save 93 percent
more floor space than with the other system.

Involving Your Utility Company
You should also try to involve your utility company in your efforts to reduce power costs.
They can offer power-savings tips as well as other services that can save you money.
Monitoring
One way you can monitor how much power you use is simply by contacting your utility
company. They can provide you with historical information about how much power was
consumed (there is likely a difference since October when you added 25 percent more
servers), and they can help you figure out what you’re currently using.

Sellback Opportunities
Maybe your organization is especially forward thinking and has turned to Mother Nature
for its power needs. If that’s the case—or the idea simply piques your interest—you might
be fascinated to know that those electrical lines running into your organization send power
both ways. That is, if you generate more power than you’re using, you can sell it back to the
power company, as shown in Figure 3-3.
The practice is called net metering, and most states have laws that direct utility companies
to buy back power at the same rate you buy it from them.

NOTE States that don’t have legislation in place typically pay the wholesale cost of power—about 1
to 3 cents per kilowatt hour.
If your organization is considering relying on the sun for its power, and possibly to sell
back power to the utility company, you’ll need a few things:
• Photovoltaic panels These panels absorb solar radiation. They are made of silicon
and coated with tempered glass. Panels are typically mounted on the roof or on a
free-standing pole.