Duxbury Networking, the sole distributor of Netgear products in South Africa, has collaborated with its principal on the development of an aggressive plan to implement energy saving programmes at local Netgear end-user sites.
According to Andy Robb, chief technology officer at Duxbury Networking, the motivation has been the adoption of energy-saving regulations in Australia and other countries where Netgear has a strong presence.
“While there are no energy saving government regulations pertaining to IT equipment in South Africa at present, we are very much aware of the energy crisis facing the country and are determined to work with our accredited dealers and resellers in a bid to take a leadership role in this arena,” he says.
The programme centres on the identification of energy-wasting computers, switches, routers and other equipment in operation at customer sites throughout South Africa, and is backed by the dissemination of information geared to increase awareness of energy-efficient alternatives.
“Netgear is already advanced in the production of energy-efficient components,” says Robb. “For example, it has achieved Energy Star Level Four efficiency for its external power adapters in North America and is working with the US Environmental Protection Agency to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions on the continent.”
He stresses that the local programme will be focused on electricity savings. “New-generation products and components can make a significant contribution to cost savings,” he adds. “For example, one energy-efficient network switch could save as much as around R2 000 in electricity per year - at current tariffs - or the equivalent of 600kgs of carbon.”
Robb adds that all Netgear energy-efficient products released through the South African channel will feature the 'Netgear Energy Star' logo on packaging.
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