There’s a report out this week from the British government about how much money has been saved by greening its IT practices. Its strategies have focused broadly, from increasing the energy efficiency of its data centers to using videoconferencing to reduce travel. Over the last year, the reports says that a bit over a million British pounds and a couple hundred thousands tons of CO2 emissions were saved. It’s pretty modest, though the report says there are numerous government agencies that have a long way to go in their efforts. What is interesting is that the report points out that the power usage effectiveness (PUE) of many government data centers was well above 1.5 and that having PUEs that high doesn’t just lead to carbon emissions but is more expensive (power is really pricy in England to begin with). That’s an important point because it quantifies the cost of running an inefficient data center which is an argument that appeals to everyone, not just those worried about sustainability.