**CONTACT: SUSAN TOLCHIN (914) 995-2932**

**LYNNE BEDELL (914) 995-3106 (**

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AUGUST 7, 2002**

**WESTCHESTER COUNTY SAVES BY PUTTING COMPUTERS TO 'SLEEP'**

**Energy management program will reduce waste and save up to \$60,000 a
year**

Thousands of Westchester County computers will automatically go to
"sleep" when they aren't in use - a move by County Executive Andy Spano
that will significantly reduce energy consumption and could save
taxpayers as much as \$60,000 a year.

The program, which uses free software developed by the U.S. Department
of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, allows monitors
to sense when a certain amount of time has passed with no activity and
automatically go into a low-power or "sleep" mode. Sleeping monitors can
save nearly 200,000 kilowatt hours and up to \$20,000 annually per 1,000
computers, according to the New York State Energy Research Development
Authority (NYSERDA), which introduced the program to Westchester.

With about 3,000 computers scheduled to be modified, that's enough of an
energy savings each year to power 690 households for one month.

"When it comes to energy, every little bit counts," Spano said. "We've
always been energy conscious and trying to cut down on waste. This
program - which doesn't cost us a penny - will take that effort one step
farther by making sure that we pay only for the time that our computers
are in use. Hopefully other governments and businesses will do the
same."

The county's program is part of the ENERGY STAR® "Sleep is Good" power
management campaign, jointly managed by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, to promote energy
efficiency. Most of the energy used by computers and monitors is wasted
because 65 percent of computers and monitors are left on at night and 45
percent of monitors are not set to regulate power use, according to
agency officials. That waste costs U.S. business and organizations about
\$900 million a year.

The county's computers will be modified over the next month or so. The
process is made easier by a software tool that enables the county to set
the computers through a network rather than machine by machine.

The machines will be set so the monitors go black after 10 minutes of no
use -- reducing the amount of electricity used from 75 watts to less
than 5. A touch of the mouse or keyboard "wakes" the machine within
seconds, without affecting what the user was previously working on. This
function is different than a screen saver, which pops up when a computer
is inactive but doesn't stop the drain of electricity.

\"I am glad that NYSERDA could help Westchester County take control of
their energy costs,\" said NYSERDA President William M. Flynn.
\"Following the State\'s lead in energy efficiency standards, the County
is taking a big step towards adopting Governor Pataki\'s Executive Order
No. 111, 'Green and Clean' State Buildings and Vehicles. In order to
save taxpayer money and save energy statewide, I encourage more local
governments to take advantage of the programs NYSERDA offers.\"

Spano has already ordered that energy-saving measures be implemented in
all county buildings. Each department now has a representative charged
with ensuring that general conservation measures are being carried out
such as turning off lights, not leaving tap water running, keeping
windows closed, and not letting county vehicle engines idle.
High-efficiency lighting has been installed in the Michaelian office
building and the Yonkers waste water treatment plant is pursuing several
novel energy measures. Photovoltaic panels on the roof and waste gas
produced by the plant are being used to generate electricity.

The county is also incorporating state-of-the-art technology into all
new capital projects and continually researching other alternatives to
reduce energy use.

Residents who want to save electricity with their home computers should
check to see if their operating system has a power management feature
that can be activated (most do).