'The need of the hour is to build a green computing movement'

What is your new green computer initiative about?

iYogi Global Green is an initiative to help reduce carbon dioxide emissions by guiding computer users to optimise their power settings and reduce consumption of energy.

It is a free ‘Do-It-Yourself’ utility that can be installed on all operating systems based on Windows. People can optimise power settings of a computer, using native functionalities built into the operating system.

The utility is designed to engage personal computer users in a community drive to save energy and in turn cut down on their respective energy bills. It allows a user to store and share his/her power settings with other users and also get ranked among other Global Green users based on their energy saving.

If it’s like resetting your personal computer, why can’t interested people do it by themselves ?

People don’t use most functionalities either due to unawareness or negligence. It’s meant for people who may not be aware of it or not motivated to browse through various folders to manage it. Global Green is an attempt to make the otherwise obvious settings more usable. The number of old people who are using computers is growing by the day. They are not as technology savvy as the younger generation. It will be particularly helpful for them.

What’s your USP? What do you offer that others can’t?

We offer a compelling interface that attracts personal computer users. It helps you to visually monitor the energy consumption by your computer and the resultant saving by using the settings after you install the Global Green utility. We also help in networking with other energy conservation users.

Aren’t you already offering a similar service to your paid subscribers? What is new now?

Right now it’s a manual application, but soon people can download the programme and do it by themselves. Presently we are offering it free to our customers, but soon it will be free for all.

What are the additional costs one incurs after availing of your free service?

It is a no-cost way to go green. Using Global Green helps the user optimise the power settings of his current computer for energy conversation. The hardware configuration of the computer system obviously determines how much green your computer can get.

How much energy can one save with the help of your green initiative?

More than 30 billion kilowatt-hours of energy is wasted in the United States alone because many people simply forget to shut down their computers when they aren’t using them. If we could just optimise power settings of our personal computers using iYogi’s Global Green, the savings in energy costs is estimated to be over $3 billion!

What will be the reduction in carbon dioxide emissions?

The carbon dioxide emission from just 15 computers is equivalent in energy terms to the gas consumption by one car. On an average, a PC consumes 1kWh of power every four hours of normal use.

What more can one do to become a green computer user?

Buy products with Energy Star. Over 40 different kind of products, including computers, home electronics, heating and cooling equipment and appliances, now carry the Energy Star label, which is the government-backed symbol for energy efficiency, With Energy Star products, you can save about 30% on your energy bills. Turn off your computer when you aren’t using it. Use a power strip and turn the power strip off when the attached devices are not in use.

Finally, what prompted you to launch the initiative in the first place?

The broader objective is to spread awareness about energy conservation by offering computer users an interesting interface to optimise their computer energy consumption. It will also help in creating a vibrant online community of Global Green users.

What next?