The FAQs are split by general type of interest and relevant FAQs are repeated. In the FAQ section, references to "PCs" includes Mac and Unix/Linux workstations except where specifically noted otherwise.

Technical FAQs for customers are included on the Greentrac appliance. Simply click on the Greentrac icon in your System Tray.

Q: What computer devices does Greentrac currently run on?
A: All versions of Windows from XP SP2 and later. All Mac OSX. All Unix platforms. Most Linux platforms.

Q: Does Greentrac support any other devices?
A: Yes. Greentrac can monitor network printers and USB or serial attached devices.

Q: Can Greentrac interface to other devices?
A: Yes. Greentrac also supports approximately 90 different protocols for data input and event generation including smart electricity meters, RFID security systems, UPSs and the like. Customised client applications using this capability are not included in the standard product cost.

Q: Will Greentrac make my PC slower?
A: No. The processing load of Greentrac’s Desktop Monitoring Agent (DMA) is negligible. Benchmark testing puts the processor load at 0.05% on a 2 GHz Intel® processor. This is significantly lower than other agents. The footprint of the 300KB DMA is approximately 1-2% of other agents currently deployed on PCs. Greentrac does not perform any energy calculations on your PC and does not rely on the PC to produce any reports or charts, instead, all reporting is made available through the portal on your network.

Q: Will Greentrac stop my PC from going into Standby mode?
A: No.

Q: Will using Greentrac create significant network traffic?
A: No. Typical Greentrac data transmissions are measured in hundreds of bytes and represent insignificant network traffic, even for networks of 200,000+ PCs. Greentrac is specifically architected not to tie up enterprise networks.

Q: How often does Greentrac send data from the PC to the Greentrac appliance?
A: This is configurable and typical installations are set from 1 to 5 minutes although some customers choose lower frequency at 15 minutes.

Q: How is the Greentrac software on the PC updated?
A: The Greentrac DMA is updated through your organisation’s Standard Operating Environment (SOE) along with anti-virus updates and software patches. Given the ultra-small size of the SMA, at less than 5% of a typical anti-virus definition update, it will not affect the operations of your network.

Q: Does Greentrac create a security exposure for the enterprise network?
A: No. The appliance and the data sit in your network. Data transmission can be encrypted within your network if required.

Q: Can Greentrac be used to shut down PCs?
A: Yes.

Q: Can Greentrac be used to wake up PCs?
A: Yes, using both magic packets and Intel® vPro™ as long as the hardware in your network supports wake on LAN. We can also set your PCs to wake up at a specific time (configurable daily) without wake on LAN.

Q: Does Greentrac know if the laptop is connected to AC power or running off batteries?
A: Yes, but only if the laptop is turned on.

Q: Is the energy used by corporate laptops at home or out of the office included in Greentrac?
A: Yes, although it can be excluded.

Q: Does Greentrac account for power used by external displays for laptops or second and third displays used by PCs?
A: Yes.

Q: How is energy use by the PCs calculated?
A: The Greentrac appliance calculates the energy used by the PC based on the exact hardware profile of the PC and the exact activity level of the PC every minute.

Q: How are the energy savings calculated by Greentrac?
A: The savings are calculated against the Baseline (a standard Greentrac function) established immediately after installation, typically over 2 to 4 weeks. Greentrac uses energy tariffs supplied by each customer and the CO2 load supplied by the customer’s utility, usually on the energy bill itself, to calculate the cost and Carbon savings.

Q: How accurate are the calculated savings?
A: Within 10% and usually within 5%. Accuracy can be improved by conducting primary PC energy monitoring over 24 hours, at any time pre or post installation.

Q: How accurate are the energy efficiency scores?
A: 100% accurate.

Q: Can energy efficiency scores be compared across different cities and countries?
A: Yes. In addition, standard pre-set benchmarking is available for all groups as defined by your internal directory.

Q: Does Greentrac violate the individual employee’s privacy?
A: No. Only the individual, with their existing secure network password can see details of their personal energy efficiency. There is a Ranking league table function with single number scores averaged over 7 days available. This function can be made anonymous or disabled.

Q: What level of detail analysis is available?
A: Analysis is available at all group and enterprise levels contained in your directory.

Q: Are there formal Carbon Credits available for Greentrac Carbon savings?
A: Various third party organizations can help you with your application for Carbon Credits using Greentrac.

Q: Can Carbon offset costs be identified on Greentrac?
A: Yes, this is a standard feature.

Q: Does Greentrac use average electricity costs or actual costs?
A: Greentrac uses actual energy costs by time of day and day of week, by location.

Q: Is there any capex required for Greentrac?
A: No. Using a virtual server or using a Greentrac appliance incurs no Capex.