Twenty-four hour virtual bank first direct is to install automated computer shutdown software in an effort to reduce its carbon emissions by 147 tonnes and save £24,000 per year on energy costs.
The NightWatchman technology has been introduced to automatically switch off the 2600 computers in first direct´s Leeds and Hamilton offices,
Research from 1E, the software company that developed NightWatchman, shows workers who don´t turn off their PCs add 700,000 tonnes of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) to UK business emissions each year. This is the equivalent of running 200,000 family cars for a year. More than one in six (18%) of PCs are habitually left on overnight, wasting 1.5 billion kWh of electricity.
Chris Pilling, first direct chief executive comments: "We operate around 2600 computers on these two sites and although we are a 24 hour business, many computers are not used at night. The installation of NightWatchman will reduce our electricity bill by tens of thousands of pounds and vitally it will reduce our carbon emissions by 147 tonnes - that´s the equivalent of running 42 family cars for a year."
He says the bank is also undergoing a programme to install more energy efficient computer screens.