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The majority of the cost savings are due to Vista's default power-management settings, which will put the PC into Sleep mode after an hour of inactivity.

By contrast, Windows XP's default settings left the computer running idle, wasting significant amounts of energy if OEMs, third-party software or employees didn't apply standby settings.

Vista's Sleep mode is also far more

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reliable than XP's equivalent Standby setting, and computers are quicker to resume too: a Vista PC or notebook will spring back to life within a couple of seconds, which isn't dissimilar from the time it takes an LCD screen to start working again after being in standby. As such, the "switch on" time will be very similar to what users currently experience when using a Windows XP computer that's on, while the attached monitor has slipped into Standby mode.

Vista's new default Sleep mode could save firms £45 per desktop alone, according to experiments PC Pro Labs carried out at a dedicated power-testing facility. Couple that with Vista's new power-management Group Policy, which allows administrators to minutely control the settings of PCs and notebooks, and the cost savings rise to £50.

There are environmental benefits to the new power settings too, with a 200-seat business potentially able to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by around 45 tons per year.