Characterisitcs of Energy Efficient Office Equipment

Energy efficient office equipment has been developed and promoted through a partnership between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the office equipment manufacturing industry. The Energy Star Office Equipment Program promotes and labels energy-efficient computers, monitors, printers, fax machines, scanners, copiers and multi-function devices. This energy-efficient equipment automatically powers down when not used for a period of time and can be recognized by looking for the familiar Energy Star label. With Energy Star equipment, energy use can be reduced by 50 percent or more. This also helps reduce the load on air conditioning equipment and it helps to protect the environment. The power management features of different types of office equipment are summarized below.

Computers and monitors – Because of their large numbers, computers are the largest energy consumers among office equipment. Energy Star computers and monitors automatically power down when not in use and are available from almost every manufacturer. Both computers and monitors power down to about 15 percent of their maximum power usage. If you use screen savers make sure they are compatible with your computer’s power management features, as many will actually prevent your computer from going into the power-saver mode. It may also be necessary to make sure that the power saving features are enabled on your computers and that you have the power-down time set to an acceptable level for your operation. Energy Star computers and monitors save about 50 percent on electricity costs.

Printers – Energy efficient printers also benefit from power management technology which puts them into low power mode after a pre-determined period of inactivity. Energy Star printers power down to 15 to 45 Watts or less depending on the type of printer, and can save over 60 percent on annual energy costs. Printers with double-sided printing capability are more energy efficient and also help reduce paper costs.

Fax machines – Because fax machines need to be available 24 hours a day, they have a huge potential for power saving technology, they also power down to 15 to 45 Watts or less when not in use, and can save over 50 percent on annual energy costs. While fax machines save energy by going into low power mode during periods of non-use, they still receive faxes at any time.

Copiers – Copiers are the most energy intensive pieces of office equipment. They take a lot of energy to keep warm so the toner can fuse to the paper. Energy consumption can be quite high, even when not in use. Energy Star copiers are equipped with power saver features that allow them to go to low-power mode after 15 minutes of inactivity and to an off-mode of five to 20 Watts after two hours of inactivity. This ensures that the equipment is off in the evening and weekends. These features can reduce annual electricity costs by up to 60 percent. Copiers with double-sided or duplex copying also help to save energy and reduce paper costs.