Computer energy use reduced

Chico Unified School District (CUSD) has earned a substantial energy-efficiency incentive check from Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E).

PG&E awarded CUSD $70,740 for the district’s power-management systems that reduce energy loads on 4,716 desktop computers when they aren’t in use, according to a PG&E press release. The retrofit incentive program covers more than half the cost of installing the system, which is expected to annually save the district $175,000 in energy costs.

The system also will save 934,200 kilowatt hours of electricity—an amount of energy consumed by about 140 average homes—each year.