It is encouraging to note that green issues are increasingly being discussed in the corridors of power in South African companies. It seems more organisations are becoming concerned with the environmental impact of their operations and the need to improve performance in this area.
For many, their motives are altruistic, others are profit-oriented and some are driven by the need for better corporate PR and an improved public 'face'.
Whatever the reasons, two of the best ways to reduce a company's carbon footprint are to improve asset utilisation and reduce energy use. With an effective doubling in electricity tariffs over the next two years, asset management could have an ever bigger impact on the corporate 'bottom line' in SA than is currently forecast.
Essentially, asset management programmes provide guidelines for the procedures by which physical components are evaluated for energy usage, covering issues such as configuration and maintenance.
Of necessity, 'green' asset management will require the adoption of a broad spectrum of best practices, including regular audits to assess component effectiveness, and the development of feasible and actionable recommendations going forward.
It will also demand the introduction of appropriate power management software programs and Web-based dashboards from which managers can monitor energy consumption, meet sustainability objectives and realise return on investment targets.
Switch off
Various asset classes will require different management strategies. For example, non-critical equipment and systems can be moved into energy-optimising 'eco' modes when not in active use, or even shut down completely at night.
Importantly, green asset management is not only about optimising or saving energy.
Andy Robb is CTO at Duxbury Networking.
How many companies leave inactive personal computers, servers, printers, scanners, fax machines, even PABX telephone systems and uninterruptible power supply and other systems in the 'switched on' or in power-sapping standby modes after-hours?
With electronic equipment often responsible for upwards of 60% of a company's overall electricity consumption - according to our research - even fairly simple solutions can result in significant savings of 10% or more.
With the proliferation of new wireless technologies and wireless devices for obtaining control-related information, 'smart' assets can be introduced that keep track of their own status, energy consumption and performance parameters.
Companies on this track are developing predictive analytics solutions in combination with data mining tools to gain a broader understanding of equipment usage and to verify efficiency patterns.
Data gathered will undoubtedly help broaden the scope of opportunities to improve energy consumption and assist decision-makers to take action on improving energy facilities and energy-saving procedures.
In this regard, it has been shown that reductions in energy consumption at the IT equipment level can have a 'domino effect' across other, peripheral systems adding to cost savings on a company-wide basis.
In other words, companies able to react proactively to IT asset performance data will ultimately have more energy conservation opportunities presented to them in areas such as HVAC systems (heating, ventilation, air-conditioning) and lighting.
Cold considerations
With winter fast approaching, companies could address ways of providing low carbon heat to their premises, using surplus or waste heat more effectively and generating heat and power together.
Significantly, combined heat and power generation is supported by a number of policies, including the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, the largest multinational, emissions trading scheme in the world.
Importantly, green asset management is not only about optimising or saving energy. A significant component of any such programme is asset disposal at the end of the lifecycle.
Many components have hazardous material content with the potential, even in low concentrations, to have a significantly adverse effect on the environment because of inherent toxicological, chemical and physical characteristics. They should not be disposed of casually.
Modern asset management programmes often incorporate re-use or recycling elements or dictate safe disposal via approved methods.
Finally, I believe new approaches to delivery and finance mechanisms are essential if organisations are to achieve the necessary changes in asset management to meet 'green' targets on a nationwide scale. Perhaps there is a role for increased regulation in the long-term view?
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