New AT&T Tool Helps Businesses Calculate Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Cost Savings

DALLAS, Aug. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Wouldn't it be great if businesses could accurately estimate the benefits of using technology, both in terms of money savings and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions? Now they can.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110816/CG52306)

With the new AT&T* Carbon Impact Assessment Tool, business customers can easily calculate the estimated GHG emissions and cost savings of using solutions that replace or reduce business travel and increase productivity and collaboration. AT&T is the first communications provider to offer such a tool for businesses.

How It Works

Using detailed data such as company size, number of employees and employees' travel plans, the AT&T Carbon Impact Assessment Tool calculates the estimated return on investment (ROI), GHG emissions avoided, and productivity enhancements that could be achieved through use or potential use of AT&T Telepresence Solution®, AT&T Connect, and AT&T Remote Access Service.

These services enable telecommuting, collaboration across locations and time zones, and virtual 'face-to-face' meetings, thus reducing, and in some cases eliminating, the need for business travel.

The tool can display the results of using these technologies in user-friendly terms, such as the equivalent number of passenger cars removed from the road, trees that no longer need to be planted to offset emissions, or houses' worth of energy use avoided.

"Analytical, fact-based tools are invaluable for decision-makers, especially for determining non-obvious tradeoffs for complicated choices. Therefore, it's great to see one added to our toolbox," said Dr. Michael E. Webber, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Co-Director, Clean Energy Incubator, The University of Texas at Austin.

"Environmental resources are precious. The AT&T Carbon Impact Assessment Tool helps quantify benefits based on real customer-provided data and protocol-based calculations to support businesses as they make smart choices in deploying ICT solutions," said Alicia Dietsch, VP Marketing Communications, AT&T Business Solutions.  

AT&T is engaged in ongoing research and modeling efforts to help better quantify the emission reductions that its products and services can provide. These solutions can help empower business customers and communities to be more efficient, productive and sustainable. For example, AT&T recently sponsored a study by the Carbon Disclosure Project and produced by Verdantix that shows that, by 2020, large U.S. companies(1) that use cloud computing can achieve annual energy savings of $12.3 billion and annual carbon reductions equivalent to 200 million barrels of oil, or enough to power 5.7 million cars for one year.(2)  

For more information on AT&T's research and development of the AT&T Carbon Impact Assessment Tool, please go to www.att.com/communicationseconomy

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's fastest mobile broadband network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile broadband and emerging 4G capabilities, AT&T also offers the best wireless coverage worldwide of any U.S. carrier, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse® and AT&T | DIRECTV brands. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T Advertising Solutions and AT&T Interactive are known for their leadership in local search and advertising. 

Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com. This AT&T news release and other announcements are available at http://www.att.com/newsroom and as part of an RSS feed at www.att.com/rss. Or follow our news on Twitter at @ATT.

© 2011 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. Mobile broadband not available in all areas. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

(1) Represents the 2,653 global firms generating annual revenues of more than $1 billion in the U.S.  

(2) Based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics average mpg, Federal Highway Administration average annual mileage and the Energy Information Agency gallons of gasoline per barrel of oil.

SOURCE AT&T Inc.