Computers & Home Office Equipment
The number of homes with computer equipment continues to grow at a rapid pace. Today there are many energy saving or "power management" features available in all types of computers and home office equipment.
When choosing equipment, look for the ENERGY STAR® mark, which indicates more-efficient types of equipment. BC Hydro and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) endorse the ENERGY STAR program of the US Environmental Protection Agency, which establishes minimum standards and power management guidelines for computers and office equipment.
Your computer or other home office equipment may already incorporate some of this technology. Read the owner's manual for each piece of equipment you use. Information on power management features is often provided in a chapter dedicated solely for this purpose. It is important to understand what features your equipment offers and how they operate. In many cases, power management features can be set to minimum or maximum levels depending on your specific uses. Here are some additional tips for conserving energy with computers and home office equipment. We recommend you share these suggestions with others who use your equipment.
General Tips
Computers
- Turn your computer off when not in use. This is the single most important thing you can do to reduce energy consumption. Much of the energy use associated with computers is wasted because PCs are often left on when not in use, including nights, weekends, and even extended periods of inactivity during the day. Most experts agree that turning your computer on and off will have no significant effect on its operation or life.
- Turn off your display device or monitor. If you must leave your computer on for network applications or other purposes, it makes sense to turn off monitors. Monitors consume a significant portion of the energy used by PCs. Trends toward larger displays, more colour, and higher resolution have increased the amount of energy required to operate monitors. Note that a screen saver does not reduce energy consumption.
- Use a laptop. A typical laptop computer has a maximum power consumption of 15 watts, and extensive power management capabilities. A typical desktop PC, with display, consumes about 10 times that or 150 watts, and has limited power management features. The potential energy savings from substituting PCs with portable laptops are large, up to 90% or more.
Printers
- Turn printers off when not in use. This tip bears repeating. Printers are typically left on for extended periods of time but are active only for only a small percentage. This means conventional printers can waste a significant amount of energy.
- Laser printers consume a great deal of energy. It costs less to buy an ink-jet printer and they are clearly the winners in terms of energy savings. Although they generally have lower print quality, recent advances in ink-jet technology have substantially improved print quality and speed. Ink-jet printer speeds are comparable to those of laser printers. However, they are not designed for high volumes, and the cost of ink/toner cartridges may mean higher operating costs per page than for laser printers. Colour ink-jet printers, because of the way they operate, are not significantly more efficient than colour laser printers.
- Select a printer with power management capabilities . Printers with automatic "power down" features can reduce electricity use by over 65%. These printers automatically power down to 15 - 45 watts, depending on the number of pages per minute produced, after specified periods of inactivity.
Fax Machines
- Select a fax machine with power management capabilities. Fax machines are generally turned on 24 hours a day to receive incoming messages. However, they are actually in use for only about 5% of the total time they are turned on. Fax machines with power management features can reduce energy costs by almost 50%.
- Avoid using full-page cover sheets. Use stick-on labels on the first page of your fax. Not only will this reduce the energy use of the fax machine, but it will also save paper and telephone charges.
- Consider a plain paper fax machine. Faxes printed on thermal paper are often copied onto plain paper, increasing the energy demand of copiers and paper costs. In addition, thermal paper costs about five times more per 8.5" x 11" sheet than plain paper. This price difference can more than make up for the increased cost of a plain paper fax machine in less than a year. Thermal paper is also not recyclable.
Copiers
- Turn your copier off when not in use. Once again, the simplest thing you can do to save energy is to make sure your machine is turned off when not in use. You may want to consider installing a simple plug-in timer to automatically turn the machine on and off.
- Choose a copier that is correctly sized. The amount of energy use of a copier is directly related to copy volume capacity. Therefore, the incentive to choose a copier that is properly sized for your needs is substantial.
- Be sure the energy-saving feature is enabled. If your copier has an energy-saving feature, be sure it is on. Because copier speeds are tested with this feature off, copiers are often shipped with the energy-saving mode disabled.
What to look for when making a purchasing decision
As mentioned earlier, many manufacturers of computers and home office equipment now offer energy-saving power management features. Products incorporating this technology are most easily recognized by the ENERGY STAR label, located directly on the product itself. If you are unsure about the power management features of a particular product, ask the retailer if the product you are considering qualifies as an ENERGY STAR rated product. Ask to see the power management specifications of the equipment you are buying. Some other benefits of equipment with power management features are:
- Because of built-in "power down" modes, and by remembering to turn off your equipment when not in use, computers and home office equipment can last up to ten times longer than conventional products.
- Products using power management features generate up to 25% less heat and tend to be quieter than conventional products.
The chart below illustrates the potential energy savings between conventional computers and home office equipment, and products that feature power management technologies.
|
Average Annual Energy Consumption* |
|||
|
Equipment |
Conventional Products |
Energy Saving Products |
Potential Energy Savings |
|
Desktop PCs |
250 kWh |
125 kWh |
50% |
|
Fax Machines |
150 kWh |
65 kWh |
55% |
|
Laser Printers |
375 kWh |
135 kWh |
65% |
|
Copier (Medium) |
600 kWh |
270 kWh |
55% |
|
Copier (Large) |
1400 kWh |
600 kWh |
55% |
*based on using equipment 5 hours a day.
Tips for the home office
- Turn equipment off when it is not in use (except your fax machine). A computer and monitor left on continuously can consume $147 worth of electricity a year (assuming that sleep mode is not used). By turning them off when you're not using them, you could save $100 per year (assuming the computer is on 10 hours/day for 228 days/year).
- It is a myth that computers use large amounts of energy when starting up, or that constant start-ups damage components or lead to electrical surges. It is much more cost-effective to shut the computer down when you are finished using it, and doing so actually reduces wear on your system.
- If your computer must be left on when you are not using it make sure that you enable the ENERGY STAR power-management feature on your computer for "sleep" mode. Set it to turn the monitor off after 10 minutes and the computer off after 20 minutes. At full power your computer and monitor could draw over 250 watts of power; in "sleep" mode, 15 watts. Screen savers do not save energy and can prevent your computer from "sleeping."
- Reduce the brightness level of the screen to the lowest level you find comfortable.
- Fluorescent desk lamps consume about a quarter of the energy of an incandescent unit, with the same light output, and last about eight times as long.
- Lots of equipment has chargers, such as laptops, cell phones and digital cameras. When they are not charging, unplug them, as they draw some power whenever they are plugged in.
Buying computers and office equipment
- Look for the ENERGY STAR® symbol on all your new office equipment. That symbol identifies the most energy efficient models. While saving energy, your equipment will run cooler which can make it last longer. The ENERGY STAR web site has lists of manufacturers and models, along with energy consumption data.
- Buy a flat-screen monitor. They use considerably less energy and are not as hard on your eyes.
- ENERGY STAR laser printers can cut the equipment's energy use by 60% by automatically placing the printer into "sleep" mode.
- ENERGY STAR labelled fax machines have a power-management feature to cut the energy costs associated with fax machines by almost 40%.
- ENERGY STAR labelled scanners can cut electricity use by up to 50% and yet do not cost any more than standard scanners. Entering "sleep mode" when idle may also extend the life of the light source.
What will you do with the computer you are replacing?
You don't want to send it to the landfill, as computers contain significant amounts of lead and heavy metals that are dangerous to the environment. There are many agencies that are glad to receive donated computers.
The Computers for Schools program will take computers and match them with a school or library that can use them. They can also advise on your local environmental disposal options for your used computer.
