[TriLUG] Slightly OT: AOL Cable Broadband & Linux

[Joseph Tate]

I've read that PC's cost as much as $20 a month in power costs, but I 
don't remember the source.  Howerver, in late 2001 according to Wise Inc 
(which quotes the EPA), the average PC used between 50-100 W/h when in 
operation.  Over one month, that cost (assuming 9c/kWh as it was in July 
2001 in Charlotte, though higher in most parts of the country, don't 
have my power bill in front of me to see how much it is today) is $3.24 
to $6.48 not including taxes.  With a monitor, which uses between 85-150 
W/h, that figure can more double.  Energy costs have gone up as has 
energy consumption.  A PPro 200 uses 69 W.  A 1.5 Ghz P-4 uses 85 W.  A 
Dual P-III 533 server uses 141 W.  A $5-10 savings figure may be a 
little off centered, but not too much.  I got most of my figures from 
http://www.thinclient.net/_vti_bin/shtml.exe/power/intro-f.htm and 
http://www.wyse.com/overview/energy/.  The cost of running an 8 port hub 
was 8 watts.  This I would imagine is close to what running the "boxed 
edge router" uses:

Thus using a 200Mhz Pentium Pro and assuming that todays power costs are 
12cents/kWh:
69W - 8W = 61 W
61W * 30 days * 24 hrs / 1000 = 43.92 kWh/month
43.92 kWh/month * $.12/kWh = $5.27 + taxes.

Joseph

Mike Johnson wrote:

>Joseph Tate [jtate at dragonstrider.com] wrote:
>  
>
>>But add the costs of running it to your power bill.  You might save 5-10 
>>bucks a month by running a "boxed edge router" rather than a dedicated 
>>Linux computer, even a PII.
>>    
>>
>
>Uh, you're way overestimating the cost there.  My last power bill was
>somewhere around $100.  At all times, I have fifteen computers, three
>switches, two hubs, a WAP, a router, and a TiVo running.  So, by your 
>math, those computers account for between $75 and $150 of my power bill.
>Assuming the $75 number, that leaves $25 for my other computing
>equipment, the oven/stove (which, granted, doesn't get as much use as it
>should), the blower on my heater (gas heat), the ceiling fans and
>lights, the fridge, the washer and dryer, the TV, and stereo.
>
>I think $5 is too high, while $2 or $3 is more likely.  I can cope with
>that on a monthly basis for the added flexibility I gain.
>
>Mike
>
>PS This isn't a 'mine is bigger than yours' contest, merely proof
>against that $5 to $10 a month figure.
>  
>