With the combination of green computing awareness, and the price of gas having long-since passed "ridiculous" levels, it's no wonder that remote access tools--you know, those products that let you login to and access your office PC from the couch in your living room-- are all the rage. But while you're sitting in your jammies and patting yourself on the back for all the green you're saving, consider this: You may be blowing a substantial chunk of that cash in the cost it takes you to keep your office computer powered up all night (or weekend, or vacation, or whatever).

According to PR from 01 Communique Laboratory Inc., "Studies have shown that the cost of leaving a single computer on all the time can be upwards of $15.00 a month per PC," and, not surprisingly, they offer a potential remedy. Their newly announced I'm InTouch Premium version provides the ability to automatically wake up your computer when you need it from a remote location--allowing you to shut down unneeded computers when you leave the building without fear of not being able to access them from a beach in the Virgin Islands when the need arises. 01 Communique explains:

Instead of leaving all your computers on, a single PC can be used to "wake-up" any computer in your office when needed, dramatically reducing your electricity bill.

And exactly how much can you expect that electric bill to drop? If you believe the vendor's own data, you could save as much as 150 bucks a month if your shop has 20 PCs.

Of course, that assumes you're currently leaving all those PCs on every night, and that whatever remote access solution you're using doesn't absorb whatever costs you may be saving. But either way, your overall gasoline and electricity usage should be lowered--and our carbon-heavy environment will thank you for it.