Better Buildings: Energy Savings and Usability of Zero-Client Computing in Office Settings

Research output: NRELFact Sheet

Abstract

Plug loads account for approximately 30% of commercial whole-building energy use, and this percentage is growing. That means the United States spends about $60 billion per year on energy to keep our devices running. About 10% of this is attributed to computing resources, which includes both traditional laptop and desktop computers, as well as data centers that can host virtual machines (VMs) and enable teleworking trends. Teleworking and more flexible work environments are becoming increasingly popular options, and many business and building owners wonder whether hosting VMs on data center servers has the potential to save energy. To answer this question, researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) conducted a study comparing energy and usability of remote VMs (accessed through zero-client devices) with traditional laptop computers. The findings were published in the Journal of Sustainable Cities and Society in 2017.
Original languageAmerican English
Number of pages2
StatePublished - 2018

NREL Publication Number

  • NREL/FS-5500-70350

Other Report Number

  • DOE/GO-102018-5053

Keywords

  • Better Buildings Alliance
  • computing
  • data centers
  • virtual machines
  • zero client

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