The news that power management specialist Verdiem is talking to UK electricity suppliers about offering rebates to customers that deploy its energy-saving PC switch-off software is bound to be welcomed by IT managers.

But in spite of customer support and uptake in the US, the likelihood of such schemes being adopted in the UK is slim. With the exception of a few problem areas such as Canary Wharf, UK energy suppliers are seeing nowhere near as much pressure placed on the electricity grid as their US counterparts.

This situation may change as IT’s energy demands continue to climb, but at the moment most energy suppliers can reliably meet demand. As such they have no commercial imperative to incentivise customers to consume less of their product.

In this scenario, the responsibility for promoting energy-efficient IT rests firmly with the government. If it is serious about developing a low-carbon economy, then a clearer framework of incentives is needed to make the financial case for adopting energy-saving technologies even more compelling.