# About Potential Savings

The **Potential Savings** page highlights where you can reduce cloud spend based on policy-driven analysis. You’ll see actionable savings opportunities, track progress, and prioritize work based on effort and risk.

## How Potential Savings Are Calculated

* #### **Policy-Based Identification**

Every savings opportunity originates from a [policy violation](/optimize-cost-savings-and-recommendations/policy-violations.md) that highlights inefficiencies in your infrastructure—such as idle services, outdated instances, or over-provisioned capacity.

These evaluations are driven by [cost optimization policies](/govern-control-and-governance/cost-optimization-policies.md), which run daily across your cloud environment to detect areas of improvement.

* #### **AWS Pricing Comparison**

OneLens calculates potential savings by comparing the current cost of a resource with the cost of its recommended alternative using real-time AWS pricing data.

* #### **Monthly Potential Savings**

The calculated cost delta between the current and recommended state is **projected over 30 days** to reflect **monthly savings**.

#### Applied Example: Rightsizing an RDS Instance in Mumbai

Suppose you’re running an RDS instance of type `db.m7g.4xlarge` in the **Mumbai region**. OneLens detects underutilization and recommends a rightsizing action to **`db.m7g.2xlarge`**, based on the resource’s performance profile and violation attributes.

**Mumbai Region On-Demand Pricing:**

* `db.m7g.4xlarge`: **$1.916/hour**
* `db.m7g.2xlarge`: **$0.958/hour**

**Savings Calculation:**

* Hourly savings: $1.916 − $0.958 = **$0.958**
* Monthly potential savings: $0.958 × 24 × 30 = **$689.76**

This value—**$689.76**—is what OneLens displays as your **monthly potential savings** for this optimization opportunity.

{% hint style="success" %}
If multiple recommendations exist (e.g., two instance types based on performance), OneLens uses the most suitable one based on the policy violation's attributes.
{% endhint %}

To explore how potential savings are identified and displayed, visit the [Potential Savings page](/optimize-cost-savings-and-recommendations/saving-dashboard/view-potential-savings.md) for a comprehensive overview of the OneLens UI.


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.onelens.cloud/optimize-cost-savings-and-recommendations/saving-dashboard/about-potential-savings.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.