Energy savings through information technologies.

Information technology can be of strategic importance in the energy-saving campaign to which OECD countries are committed. As energy costs go up, technology costs are brought down by improvements in information processing, telecommunications, microprocessors and electronics. And the energy required for its use has also decreased, though this effect has been a by-product of the search for efficiency and speed of operation rather than an objective in itself. Moreover some of the activities which consume the most energy are the most amenable to control and optimisation through use of information technology. Some of the opportunities are spelled out. -Authors