Can SMBs be smarter about switching?

The global economic downturn, combined with an ongoing international drive for energy efficiency, has forced SMBs to be smarter about their savings. However, much of the advice for businesses and homeowners fails to go beyond lowering the heating or turning off the lights when vacating a room. But these energy-saving measures alone won't make up for the sharp rise in prices.

There are larger scale approaches that can help make your building more energy efficient and sustainable such as double glazing, solar panels, LED lighting and sensors. However, these approaches require considerable financial investment which many SMBs simply do not have access to right now. To achieve a more cost-effective and environmentally friendly office, businesses must become smarter with their switches.

A switch is a piece of networking equipment that joins devices on a computer network by receiving and forwarding data to the destination device using packet switching. The conducting route in an electrical circuit can be disconnected or connected through the use of a switch. This ‘off’ and ‘on’ can be controlled by the user. Simply put, with switches businesses can have greater control over their electricity usage.

Few SMBs know that they can save on their WiFi energy consumption in their building. One or more switches and multiple access points are required to power a business’s wireless network. Much of this switching equipment can be configured so that the Power over Ethernet (PoE) goes to the access points (APs) or not, as needed.

Businesses can use a network switch to control when Wireless Access Points can be powered. For example, a cafe may turn on and off its lights and heating automatically outside of opening hours.

In addition, Wireless Access Points can be programmed to power down similarly. You can even set different schedules to accommodate the equipment required to operate at all times.

This may all be very useful, but the question remains - what can you save on an annual basis with the smart configuration of a switch?

Let’s start with the basics. One AP is required for every 100 m2, so many medium-sized companies will quickly reach 20 APs. If we take a full calendar week of 168 hours, where we only turn the access points on from 8am to 6pm on weekdays, then you can reduce your consumption by 118 hours a week. No power needs to be supplied to the AP outside of those 50 working hours per week.

When the access point is in idle mode (after 6pm and before 8am), it consumes an average of 0.005 kWh per hour (power is 5 Watt). So you save 118x 5W = 590 watts per AP per week. Per month that is 4 x 590w = 2.36 kW and per year it increases to 52 x 590w = 30.68 kW.

With a current average electricity price of 34 pence per kWh the savings per access point per year amount to 30.68kW times 0.34 = £10.43. So with a company with an average of 20 APs, that translates into savings of 20 x 10.43 = £208.60 on an annual basis.

As a medium-sized company, you can save £200 quickly and easily with one simple configuration in a switch and without any additional investment. After all, the functionality of the rest mode of the APs is already in the switch, you just have to know how to use it by updating your schedule.

For organisations that need multiple access points, such as schools, which can have around 150 APs on the premises, and companies with a warehouse that use a lot of space, savings through smart programming and configuration of the switch could amount to thousands of pounds per year.

Although this only resolves a fraction of the problem, it’s a cautionary measure that can protect SMBs against further storms. Looking beyond the general advice provided by respective governments, SMBs should utilise the most efficient devices on offer to optimise their operations.

It should also be remembered, beyond the immediate savings, switches are better for the environment and day to day office management. Not only is switching to a switch the smart option for SMBs but also for the planet.