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As the previous part of this feature explained, thin clients can be an effective tool in certain environments.

The fact remains, however, that some businesses require the extra grunt that only a dedicated PC can provide, and those looking to upgrade their hardware should start at the Energy Star website .

Energy Star is a US programme designed to promote energy-efficient products, and PCs seeking its seal of approval need to meet energy-use guidelines in three distinct operating modes - standby, sleep and under full load - equating to a power draw of no more than 50W, 65W and 95W, respectively.

Energy Star claims its specification will prevent greenhouse gas emissions equal to that of 2.7 million vehicles over the next five years, and its site contains a comprehensive list of every PC that has passed certification, searchable by brand and model.

Other routes

However, while Energy Star is a good first step when choosing products, it shouldn't be taken as a sole guide now that many manufacturers - including Fujitsu Siemens, Tranquil and VeryPC - are building desktop PCs with very low power needs that easily undercut the Energy Star rating.

There are also bigger issues surrounding the manufacturers themselves and it's

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always worthwhile researching a company's environmental credentials on the Greenpeace guide to greener electronics.

"IT managers should always look at the real wattage figures," said Peter Hopton, managing director of VeryPC. "They'll want something that idles nice and low, preferably around 40W, as that's where the savings come.

"And it's worth thinking about end of life, too. You'll want something with good recyclable materials - metal can be effectively reused, so manufacturers will be motivated to recycle it, unlike plastics that usually end up in 'energy recovery', which is basically burning.

"Also, look for something small, because that means fewer raw materials and less power was needed to construct it in the first place."

Cut the wastage

And once the machines are in, there are still savings to be made. A Fujitsu Siemens study revealed the UK wastes £123 million by leaving PCs on during evenings and weekends.

It's a staggering sum, but can be avoided by employees switching their machines off before they leave.

Alternatively, be dogmatic over power settings. While some companies prefer to leave their machines on overnight for patching and updates, power-management tools from companies such as Verdiem allow administrators to set policies ensuring machines automatically power down when not being used and wake up for scheduled tasks.

Verdiem claims it can save companies around £30 per PC a year on electrical bills, which even for a small business would easily cover the annual licence fee for the software.

It's also an advantage Vista holds over Windows XP. Since Vista's Sleep mode is more reliable than XP's and is quick (typically less than five seconds) to get to fully operational, many users won't be able to tell the difference between a PC that's been asleep and one with the display turned off.