A Case Study of Information Technology Related Energy Consumption at the EIA Analysis Agenda Year: 2002 Analysis Theme: Impact of Technological Changes on Future Energy Markets Sponsoring Office: Office of Integrated Analysis & Forecasting Contact(s): Erin Boedecker, 586-4791 , Steve Wade, John Cymbalsky Product Summary: The growing use of information technology related equipment and how this growth affects the pattern and level of electricity consumption in U.S. energy markets is currently receiving a great deal of attention. Estimates of information technology related energy use in real world situations are scarce. This article will present the results of a yearlong study, currently underway, that periodically metered electricity consumption data for a sample set of EIA information technology equipment used in the Forrestal building in Washington, DC. Results will be analyzed to estimate typical electricity usage patterns for various types of equipment (e.g., personal computers, mainframe, servers, routers, and other communications equipment) and different types of computer users (heavy, moderate, highly internet-related, etc.). Usage estimates developed from the metering study will be compared to reports that attempt to provide national and per unit estimates of energy use by information technology equipment. Examples of such works include Electricity Used by Office Equipment and Network Equipment in the U.S. by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and a study currently being conducted by Arthur D. Little for the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The analysis will be limited in scope due to the small sample of equipment metered, however, the results are expected to provide useful insights in estimating computer and other information technology related electricity consumption. Schedule: Start Date: Jan 2002 Completion Date: Dec 2003 If you are having technical problems with this site, please contact the EIA Webmaster at wmaster@eia.doe.gov Contacts: nancy.nicoletti@eia.doe.gov or ingrid.springer@eia.doe.gov Return to table of contents.