IT-utrustnings miljöeffektivitet
- En undersökning av Grön IT på Umeå Energi
The environmental issues have during the last decenniums gained an increased role in both the political arena and in the market economy. The society is therefore more knowledgeable about the environment and our impact on it. Through this enlightened state, stakeholders tend to put pressure on the organizations of today. They, more or less willingly, incorporate this responsibility to be a part of their business. Entrepreneurs in the environmental area have seen this rising market as an opportunity to gain market shares and other positive outcomes. Organizations can, not only take a responsibility for the environment but, make a profit out of such a commitment. IT has become known as one of the contributors to facilitate the environmental impact, but much is left to be done, as IT equipment is one of the contributors to the damaging effects throughout its entire lifecycle. The study was conducted at Umeå Energi and was aiming towards an examination of their IT equipment and its environmental efficiency. Therefore, following questions were asked in this thesis: How environmental efficient is the IT equipment and the using of it in the organization today? What effects can different equipment and behavior lead to? Because of the opportunity to make the environmental work into a positive outcome another question where raised as well: Can the equipment and the using of it be environmental efficient and at the same time mean less expenditure? The study focused on the equipment in itself and the using of it. This was made through measuring of equipment and later on through a questionnaire survey. The results was then added together and analyzed in three different scenarios to illustrate the energy consumption of the equipment with the relation to the using of it. The result showed that both the equipment and the personnel working at Umeå Energi tended to be environmental inefficient. This led to establishing of proposals for changes and further work in this area.