Four out of five European IT would be happy to pay a premium for energy efficient products, according to a study by Lenovo and AMD.

This outlook stems largely from a misconception that being 'green' involves a considerable investment and a latent desire for energy efficient technologies.

"Being environmentally friendly is a critical success factor to doing business today, and it comes with palpable operational benefits, most notably cost savings," said Milko van Duijl, senior vice president at Lenovo.

"We are making it our mission to raise awareness of this and give customers the opportunity to put their increasing environmental awareness into practice."

However, when asked to choose between functionality, price, energy efficiency, design and brand name, functionality was the most important factor influencing European buying decisions.

UK respondents were not brand-loyal, and did not care for design, and 53 per cent opted for functionality. However, 31 per cent would sooner make a purchasing decision based on a better price point.

IT managers in France were slightly more brand-loyal and held design in higher regard, but 34 per cent agreed that functionality is the most important factor influencing a purchasing decision. Price came in second at 32 per cent of respondents.

Meanwhile, 54 per cent of IT managers in Germany selected functionality as the number one reason behind a purchasing decision. Again price came in a close second at 24 per cent.

Sixty per cent of IT managers polled across Europe are currently using PCs that are not energy efficient or EPEAT rated, broken down as 66 per cent in France, 65 per cent in the UK and 50 per cent in Germany.

The research highlights the gap that still exists between an organisation's green intentions and the prevalence of cost as a driver in business decisions.

However, according to AMD and Lenovo, these two factors are not in fact opposed, as many managers seem to believe that more energy efficient choices can ultimately lead to greater cost savings.