[K12OSN] electricity use

[Doug Simpson]

The fact that they say that many computers use too much electricity, 
look around their offices and see how many of their computers are left 
on 24/7. That is 2/3 wasted electricity.

Now, if you go to terminal services (with LTSP or whatever) you won't 
need hard drives so those 20 computers will use less energy anyway. 
Could be as much as 15% to 20% less energy than the fat ones in the 
offices.

Also, look around the buildings and see how many unoccupied rooms 
throughout the day are left with the lights on.

When the students are at lunch, for example, look at those classrooms 
burning electricity for no reason.

Help them to realize that comuters are not the only thing that uses a 
lot of electricity.

If the computers you have in your room do not trip the breakers, and the 
breakers have NOT be compromised, there is no worry of how many there are. 
Just make sure you don't use inferior power cords and strips and that 
you do not overload any strips or other eguipment.
One computer per circuit is rediculous! I have been in MANY highly rated 
computer labs and have NEVER seen in any of them, one computer per circuit.
I do not condone loading that circuit until it trips the breaker because 
that is hazardous.  Get your maintenance man to use his clamp-on ammeter 
on your circuit when you have those computers on and see how much power 
they use.  Then remove the hard drives. . .

JMHO-YMMV

Doug

Brad Thomas wrote:

>I am a social studies teacher and I've been building a lab in my classroom
>of old, discarded computers over the last two years (I was up to 20). I
>have been using small distros like DSL (DamnSmallLinux) to make them work,
>but was planning to switch to a k12ltsp setup before the end of the year.
>However, my principal just sent an e-mail last week instructing me to
>remove all but 6 of the computers from my room implying that they were
>using too much electricity. I just got back from a school planning council
>meeting where she and an assistant principal said that they called Dell
>(we buy all our new fat machines from Dell) and Dell said there should
>only be one computer per 20 amp circuit (which translates into one per
>room I think). As far as I can tell (using a Watts Up meter) one
>computer-and-monitor use a little more than 1 amp of power, so I don't get
>this. Can anyone out there give me some guidelines they go by? Or steer me
>to a good site? How much planning goes into ensuring proper electrical
>flow into your k12ltsp labs?
>
>Brad
>
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