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World Community Grid Forums
Category: Support
Forum: Suggestions / Feedback
Thread: Electricity Cost & Your Computer |
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Thread Status: Active Total posts in this thread: 6
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
Taking the thought from This thread in the FAQ
----------------------------------------The author states that WCG only draws 14 W/h extra and therefore only costs $6/yr running 24/7. What this fails to ignore is the other 106 watts that it is drawing by being on so the true cost is 0.12 Kw * 365 * 24 * $0.05 /KwH = $52.56 pa and if you have several computers (lets say 12) That is an extra $52 a month you have to fork out to your friendly utiltity co. One friend who works in a large company determined that it would cost £1M to run WCG or similar. Based on the figures above, it would it could easily cost this amount for a few thousand corporate machines . The amount extra depends on whether these machines are left on all the time or not. Obviously data centers do but I can't see administrators putting WCG into the datacenters and user desktops may well be switched off overnight. Just some thoughts. [Edit 1 times, last edit by Former Member at Jun 3, 2005 8:40:41 AM] |
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The Aspens
Advanced Cruncher New Mexico, USA Joined: Apr 15, 2005 Post Count: 54 Status: Offline Project Badges: 
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Corporations and Members do not need to leave their computers on at times that they would not normally be on in order to provide value to the grid. The World Community Grid agent is designed to run in the background while a user is performing low CPU usage tasks. For example, the vast majority of computer users these days use most of their computer time to read email, view the web or work in spreadsheets. This leaves the vast majority of their cpu usage available for the agent to do useful work for the grid.
----------------------------------------Even if a computer is only on during regular business hours at a company or a couple of hours at home for personal computer, it will still contribute valuable CPU time to grid. I believe that the intent of the analysis provided in the FAQ is to point out the relatively low incremental cost of running the agent if you leave the computer on the same amount that you normally would. His inclusion of the 24x7 statement is simply to point out that if you normally leave your computer on 24x7 the worst case scenario for the additional electricity requirement of running the agent is quite low. However, you are correct in saying that if you leave your computer on more then you would otherwise to process more work then the incremental power cost would be more.  [Edit 1 times, last edit by The Aspens at Jun 2, 2005 2:03:45 PM] |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
"You are correct commander"
----------------------------------------The impression I was trying to correct is that if you leave your machine on for longer that you ordinarily would they it your bill may increase and that you would have to pay for the whole cost of leaving the machine on not just the wcg bit, particularly if you get excited about it and start adding machines left right and centre. Any cpu time that is available and the person who is footing the bill is happy to is welcome and wanted.  [Edit 1 times, last edit by Former Member at Jun 3, 2005 8:39:21 AM] |
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
For the most part, I've left my 3 computers on all the time since November (granted that one is at work for 8 hours a day) and have not noticed any appreciable rise in my electricity bill. The past month, I've been making an effort to make sure all the lights are turned off when not in use, and have noticed that that actually does makes a difference. World Community Grid is nothing compared to running a heater in the winter. Yes, I track my expenses pretty closely. Perhaps I should have been an accountant...
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Former Member
Cruncher Joined: May 22, 2018 Post Count: 0 Status: Offline |
The last post in this thread has an clever use for computers. Saving money by having computers help heat the house in in the winter time while crunching numbers. https://secure.worldcommunitygrid.org/forums/wcg/viewthread?thread=2864
Perhaps our furnaces should become like the hybrid automobiles. The base furnace would be a computer and the furnace would only kick in when needed. Don't have a solution for summer  |
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David Autumns
Ace Cruncher UK Joined: Nov 16, 2004 Post Count: 11062 Status: Offline Project Badges:
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Hi bbover3
----------------------------------------As we are the World Community Grid the solution is to have the Grid fly south for the Summer months (as viewed from the Northern end of the Planet). We need to ramp up the promotion of the WCG in the Southern Hemisphere right now So they can be kept warm as toast as we were in those dark days of January.I like to think of the extra cost, and there is no denying if you catch the number crunching addiction there is an extra cost, as contributing directly for Cancer Research instead of putting my coins in a collecting tin and it comes with the hope that it might be more than Cancer Reaserch that benefits. Beware Crunching for the WCG is addictive There's no hope for me Dave  |
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