Antec targets channel with green power units

Senior vice president urges resellers to sell PCUs and AV coolers to help conserve energy

Scott Richards: These products will reduce downtime and save your clients money.

Antec’s senior vice president, Scott Richards, has given CRN an exclusive glimpse into how his channel partners could profit from helping companies that want to play their part in averting a global catastrophe.

Firms are desperate to assuage their guilt over consuming so much electricity, argued Richards. And since these firms are not going to stop using PCs and home entertainment systems any time soon, why not sell them an alternative?
he asked.

There are add-ons that resellers can offer to users that are a no-brainer to sell, he said. Antec has a range of 80 Plus standard-specification power supplies that it claims are 80 per cent more efficient than traditional power supplies.

“Power supplies are a great way to start a green strategy. It is not a massive investment for the corporate user, so it is an easy sale,” he said. “They are good for the planet, and good for business.”

The new power supply units (PSUs) save 85 kW per desktop PC per year and 300 kW per server per year. At peak reduction times an 80 Plus-qualified PSU saves 16 watts on desktop PCs and 34 watts on servers during peak demand periods. The improved power factor means that PCs on an electrical circuit are less likely to be fatally starved of a good electrical supply, which can lead to computer crashes and lost data.

Do not sell power supplies, advised Richards, sell business continuity. “These products will reduce downtime and save your clients money on their electricity bills.”

“For a small investment, users can meet emissions targets and lower the cost of ownership.”
Resellers could also offer green-minded customers energy-saving products for the home.
Antec’s latest audiovisual cooler is a flat platform that fits into a home theatre to blow hot air away from heat-generating components.

“The systems work better and it prolongs the life of the system by preventing overheating,” said Richards. “A company might not sell audiovisual products, but they can sell clients products that will make them more sustainable.”

Victoria Davies, product manager at Antec’s UK distributor VIP Computers, argued that UK businesses have a moral obligation to reduce power use.

“Everyone should buy them,” insisted Davies. “Imagine all the wasted power out there, and how much CO2 we could save if we all used this type of product.”