It is recommended that all UNSW staff:

1) Turn off their monitors when not in use for periods exceeding 30 minutes; and

2) Shut down and turn off their computers at the end of each day, unless it is essential to leave them on.

The PC unswitch campaign was launched in April 2001 with the distribution of posters, stickers and information cards within staff offices. Lola, our singing computer, also conducted office visits delighting staff with her rendition of Copacabana. Click here to view the promotional material.

Several months after the launch of the unswitch campaign audits indicated that more UNSW staff are now turning off their computers and monitors (see graph below). During the audits notes were left on keyboards thanking staff for switching monitors off or reminding them to switch their monitor off.

Random office spot checks will continue during 2002 to ensure that staff don't slip back into their old habits!

Background

In Februrary 2001 unswitch conducted an energy scoping audit of all Kensington campus offices. A staggering 43% of PCs were left on at night. Sometimes PCs are required to be left on all the time to run programs, conduct system maintenance, act as a server to a website or to be accessed remotely. However, it is very unlikely that such a large proportion of UNSW office computers need to be left on at night. More significantly, 26% of monitors were left on and 28% were in standby mode at night. There is absolutely no reason why a monitor should not be turned off when not in use.

With more than 5,000 computers used in offices on campus, there is potential to save thousands of dollars annually if just HALF of those machines were turned off at night. In environmental terms, CO2 savings generated by this action would be the equivalent of taking 400 cars off Australian roads permanently - a significant consideration given UNSW's involvement in the Greenhouse Challenge.