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Problem Statement

Climate change presents a range of risks to human life and the environment. Avoiding the worst effects of climate change will require meaningful, quantifiable action to reduce reliance on energy generated from fossil fuels.

Those engaged in performance-intensive computing applications such as PC gaming often lack the awareness and resources needed to align consumption patterns with climate priorities.

Problem Background

Gaming Directly Linked to Rising CO2 Emissions

A typical gaming rig could consume as much as 1,400 kilowatt hours per year and account for as much as 1,700 pounds of CO2 annually [1].

Gaming PCs Significantly Increase Power Consumption

Gaming consumes 34 TWh/year in the U.S., emitting the same CO2 as 85 million refrigerators, or more than 5 million cars [2].

A case study: California

An estimated 5% of California's residential energy use is devoted to computer gaming [1]. Recent heat wave forced the state's grid operator to issue emergency alerts asking customers to curb demand [2]. California ended up relying more heavily on fossil fuel generation to meet peak demand [2].

PC Wattage Statistics Perspective

The power consumption of a PC can vary drastically depending on what software is in use and the actions of the user. To put this into perspective, playing a resource-intensive video game like Escape from Tarkov may result in gameplay wattage equivalent to: two 65” LED TVs, six fluorescent lamps, one fridge/freezer combination, or eight DVD players [2].

HOW DOES THIS AFFECT US?

Climate Change - We have seen a 1.1° C rise in temperature since 1880 and project a 3.2° C increase by the end of this century.

Natural Disasters - There has been a 4 inch rise in global sea levels since 1993. We are likely to see higher rates of flooding and wildfires.

Actions - The world is falling short of the emissions reductions needed to avoid the most severe impacts from global warming.

Financial Strain - The World Economic Forum ranked climate change as the biggest risk to the economy in 2020.

Food Shortages - With the continuous increase in temperature and change in weather, there would most likely have a decrease in harvest due to flooding.

Poverty - People are expected to live in poverty due to floods sweeping away homes, and livelihoods. The change in temperature would also affect the way people work.

Health Risks - Over 90% of people breathe unhealthy levels of air pollution, largely resulting from burning fossil fuels driving climate change. Heat strokes.

Animal Population - The world is currently suffering from coral bleaching where fish are losing their habitats and sources of food.

Our Solution

Eco-feedback software that measures the carbon intensity of high-performance personal computers, using this data to educate about energy and the climate, while also nudging users toward more sustainable behaviors.

Record Your Consumption

Our application will continuously record the actual electricity consumption of your personal computing device with a focus on enthusiast-level performance-intensive computing.

Estimate Costs

Our application will estimate the cost to operate your device using an average retail price from a publicly available source.

Monitor Regional Electricity Data

Our application will monitor publicly-available data on regional electricity generation by fuel type, as well as, use historical generation and weather data to predict periods of high renewables availability geared toward reducing your device's carbon-intensity.

Provide Analytics

Using collected data, our application will make recommendations on optimal time frames to carry out demanding tasks, estimate the carbon-intensity of individual computing tasks, track your unique CO2 footprint and reward emissions reductions over time.

Educate For Sustainability

Our application will provide you with information about regional electricity trends to promote more sustainable outcomes.

Support Emissions Research

Our application will collect anonymized data that could be used to inform future research and policy making related to sustainable computing.