Merced College says new computer software could save energy costs

Merced College said that starting Feb. 1, the majority of its computers will be managed through a new software system intended to save energy and possibly as much as $100,000 a year in electrical costs.

“We’ve had several conversations with the Merced Irrigation District about how the college might save energy, reduce spending, and help the environment in the process,” said Mike Cuchna, vice president of Technology and Institutional Research. “We’ve since installed computer software that will manage power consumption by computers throughout the Merced campus and at the Los Banos campus.”

With more than 2,000 computers on both campuses, the PowerSave software is expected to significantly reduce energy usage while saving money. The college said the software was provided by MID at no charge.

“A typical desktop computer requires about 100 watts of power while in use,” Cuchna said. “During the course of a year, one computer consumes about 874 kilowatts of electricity. This is equivalent to driving 820 miles in your car. To generate all of this power, about 750 pounds of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere.”