IDG News Service —

Hewlett-Packard is bringing new power management features to laptops that can help companies measure and cut energy costs, the company said on Tuesday.

The PC maker announced new business laptops — the ProBook 6445b and ProBook 6545b — that include dedicated hardware and software that can estimate energy costs over time. The Power Assistant software tool can help companies meet energy budgets by measuring and managing the power drawn by the laptops and its components, HP said.

The software can estimate power cost of laptops over a day, week or year. That is done by measuring its cost per kilowatt hour based on rates provided by a utility company, which need to be entered manually. That capability can help IT managers set power-saving budgets and goals for a single machine or a fleet of laptops over time.