Energy Star Ratings
Making Greener Savings 
Since its creation in 1992, Energy Star is now a recognised label for identifying efficient products that will reliably deliver energy savings and environmental benefits. It is a voluntary classification scheme set up by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initially to identify energy-efficient computers. The program has grown to encompass over 35 product categories, including major appliances, office equipment, lighting and home electronics.
Energy savings and environmental returns are becoming an increasing concern for consumers. Energy Star products identify goods that deliver the same or better performance as comparable models while using less energy and saving money.
The specification for PCs and other computing equipment has not altered significantly since July 2000 and under the 2000 specifications around 98% of systems were meeting Energy Star requirements. This encouraged EPA to release tougher requirements. On 20th July 2007 EPA released Energy Star Version 4.0 which determines what manufacturers of notebooks, desktops, tablets, servers and game consoles will need to do in order to sell their products as Energy Star compliant. High end servers, blades and storage systems are not covered by these rules at present.
There are two tiers of compliance; tier 1 will distinguish the top 25% of the most energy efficient systems and tier 2, to be released in July 2009, will set out additional standards for computers outside of the top tier. There are three types of certifications, A, B and C, with A being for the products that meet the toughest specifications. Initially, there are likely to be fewer computer models qualifying for Energy Star as manufacturers need to adapt to meet the more challenging requirements.
Qualified products must now meet energy guidelines in three distinct operating modes: standby, sleep mode and while computers are being used. For example, a desktop may not consume more than 2 watts of power when in standby mode or more than 4 watts of power when in sleep mode and for a Certificate A desktop, it may not use more than 50 watts of power when in an ‘idle state’. Basic tablets and notebooks are allowed a little more wattage but still must consume 14 Watts or less of power when idle.
A full list of the product criteria can be found at www.energystar.gov
There are also conditions on testing, where and how the Energy Star label is positioned and applied, and a commitment by organisations to further publicise energy savings, environmental benefits and the Energy Star program.
The new specifications do not just cover computers though; they include criteria for copiers, fax machines, mailing machines, scanners, MFDs (Multi-functional Devices) and printers. There are also additional requirements for accessories. If an imaging product is sold with an external power adaptor, cordless handset or digital front-end, it must meet the current Energy Star external power supply (EPS), telephony or computer specifications. Monitors released in January 2005 are still covered by the specifications.
Several manufacturers have already released products that comply with the new Energy Star specifications including Dell, HP and Lenovo.
The new Energy Star specifications promise significant energy savings with qualified office and imaging products using 30-75% less electricity than standard equipment.
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