This week D-Link started shipping yet more network hardware from its Green Ethernet line. The new 1U switches, the 16-port DGS-1016D and 24-port DGS-1024D, move that data at GbE speeds.

Thanks to technology that accounts for cable length and the ability to sense inactive ports and power them down, D-Link says most businesses stand to gain a fair amount of power savings. Well, at least when it comes to their networking infrastructure.

D-Link's Green Ethernet switching solutions provide the opportunity for significant energy savings. For example, when connected and then powered down, the DGS-2208 multi-port desktop switch can realize up to 80 percent savings in power usage, and the other D-Link 'Green Ethernet' switches save up to 45 percent. The same devices, when used for 10 hours and then powered down for 14 hours over a 24-hour period, when connected via Ethernet cables, provide up to 40 percent and 27 percent energy savings, respectively.

To maximize those savings, you'll need to shut those hosts off at night, which you should be doing anyway.