>Faced with declining budgets, federal agencies are looking for innovative ways to cut costs while meeting a growing list of sustainability mandates.  Expanding the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) – metering and energy management systems for buildings, GPS-based tools for fleets, teleconferencing, e-training, teleworking, and cloud-based data storage – offer agencies new ways to reduce their energy use, cut greenhouse gas emissions and enhance productivity.

We estimate widespread deployment of  ICT could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 12 percent, roughly half the amount called for under a 2009 executive order, and could save an estimated $5 billion in energy costs through 2020. […]

Using 2008 as a baseline, agencies have a goal of reducing direct emissions (Scope1 and 2) 28 percent and indirect emissions (Scope 3) 13 percent by 2020. With reductions of 7 percent through 2011, federal agencies are making good progress.  By expanding use of ICT, the federal government could go much further. […]<