The government revealed plans this morning to make the energy consumption of public sector IT carbon neutral within four years.

The Cabinet Office has outlined 18 key steps to help departments reduce power use, including automatic switch off, server audits and equipment reuse. Any remaining power use will be offset.

Launching the strategy this morning, Cabinet Office minister Tom Watson said: "This is a serious problem that requires a serious solution. We will not achieve this just by offsetting, but by making serious changes to the way we do business."

Andrew Lee, chief executive of the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC), said: "As the SDC reported earlier this year, government departments have a long way to go on reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions, and tackling IT will be crucial to this effort."

John Higgins, director general of technology industry trade body Intellect, said: “Intellect's Public Sector Council agreed yesterday to form a dedicated task group to focus on the issue and help make today's ambitions for greening government IT a reality."