Saving Energy and Taxpayer Dollars

Much of the current debate about the Federal deficit focuses on cutting, spending, taxing, and other overly politicized terms.  Lost is the significant impact smart energy policies can play in creating real savings, which is why we were pleased to see a new energy efficienct technology bill introduced last night by Senators Mark Udall and James Risch.

The Energy Efficient Government Technology Act (EEGTA), S. 1261, will bring innovation and efficiencies to the federal government that are already being achieved in the private sector – such as improved data center efficiency strategies, energy management plans, and IT asset utilization levels.  To put it another way, S. 1261 essentially would leverage information and communications technology and industry best-practices to make the government more efficient and productive.  As my colleague Chris Hankin wrote when the House companion to this legislation was introduced “[i]t is about enabling the federal government to provide better government, at a lower cost.”

A new study from the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES), also released yesterday, notes that innovative technologies can help federal agencies meet their sustainability goals. The report brings together compelling statistics that further support the significant impacts smart IT policies will provide, including:

  • Estimated data center and server consolidation savings of $150-200 billion over 10 years;
  • Utilization of cloud computing could reduce federal IT spending by nearly $20 billion per fiscal year; and,
  • Use of cloud-based email would save $1 million each year for every 7,500 users.

The bipartisan leadership and collaboration from Senators Udall and Risch is a step toward realizing these untapped efficiencies and savings, and ITI plans to work with these members and their House counterparts  (Reps. Anna Eshoo and Mike Rogers) to see enactment of this legislation.

Public Policy Tags: Energy

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