JISC

This project will stimulate greater implementation of cost-effective green ICT initiatives within FE and HE through the creation of stronger financial awareness within, and stronger incentives for, IT departments. It will focus on three financial mechanisms to achieve this - devolved energy budgeting, shared energy costs/savings schemes and whole life costing - plus the underpinning activity of sub metering. It builds on, and implements the recommendations of, a previous stage, which surveyed current practice in the sector.

The aim of the first stage the RECSO project was to carry out a scoping study which would provide guidance in formulating plans for the empirical research to be carried out in Stage 2. This was carried out between February and September 2010, and concluded in October 2010 with the issue of the final report on the project outcomes. These identified three main topic areas for further research in Stage 2: devolved budgeting/shared savings; whole life costing; and sub-metering. The following outputs will be generated in Stage 2 for each of these three areas:-

• Work with a partner institution to help them to implement the activity Case studies of best practice and learning;
• Guidance materials, including a ‘how to manual’ which we anticipate will be of 20-30 pages (for each of the 3 topics), and shorter briefing documents; and
• An open seminar/workshop to publicise and validate the publications, create and strengthen networks, and stimulate take-up in attending institutions.