On a single day this summer, county governments across the country could dramatically slash energy consumption costs with the flick of a switch! On August 27, the National Association of Counties is encouraging all county organizations to power down computers, monitors, printers and any other electronic devices at the end of the workday in an effort to reduce consumption and cut energy costs. Jefferson County has joined the effort and is challenging their employees and citizens to do the same.

Last year, more than 2,800 government and industry employees pledged to power down their computers, printers and monitors on Power IT Down Day – a one-day savings of over 37,000 kilowatt-hours.

For the second year, many major IT companies, such as Citrix, Hewlett-Packard, Intel and Microsoft, have committed to switching off personal computers and peripherals when leaving the office for the evening on August 27. If only one percent of county governments’ 2.9 million employees participated in Power IT Down Day, more than 380,000 kilowatt-hours could be saved. That comes to an energy cost-savings of more than $38,000 in a single night.

Power IT Down Day encourages government to embrace responsible energy usage at the individual level. We can all make a difference, not just on August 27, but every day.