A recent story from the cleantech space caught my attention – “CA School District Spends $23M on Solar Panels, Won't Break Even for 16 Years” [1].

In a move that is proving to be controversial with some, some California school districts are looking to a high-tech way to save money, even if the payback won't be achieved until well over a decade later.

Wow, that’s a really long time to achieve a return on investment (ROI). In our world of cleantech, the name of the game is energy efficiency through PC power management. You can save $20-$60 per PC or Mac per year with PC power management software. For organizations even with hundreds of devices, the potential savings add up quickly. Plus, you get those savings every year. The net is that with PC power management you’ll easily get an ROI within 6 to 12 months. If you’re in an area with utility rebates, your ROI can be as quick as 3 months.

So, don’t wait years and years to earn your money back. Invest in energy efficiency that pays for itself in less than a year and will pay dividends for years to come.