How to select ENERGY STAR PCs and monitors for your office
Step 1: What product?
Presumably, when you read these pages, you know exactly what type of equipment you want. If not, please consider the following:
Computers — An average notebook will consume 50 to 80% less energy —depending on the specs— than the average desktop PC+CRT monitor.
Desktop vs Laptop
Monitors — The average flat screen (LCD) will use 50% less energy than an equivalent average conventional (CRT) monitor.
CRT vs LCD monitor
Office networks —A small office network (2PCs) can use as much as 1300 kWh or as little as 130 kWh per year.
- Don't use old PCs as dedicated home servers,
- minimize the number of external power supplies (use combi's or USB powered devices) and
- use notebooks against blackouts instead of a UPS.
Medium-sized offices could try to take the load off the central server and try to do without the UPS.
UPS
Step 2: What model?
Once you know the kind of product you want, the ENERGY STAR logo guarantees a minimum efficiency but the EU ENERGY STAR database will help you pick the most energy efficient model, meeting your specifications at the lowest energy consumption. The database presents the various energy and functional parameters and is updated continuously.
EU ENERGY STAR database: PCs & monitors
Furthermore, for people interested in the technical background* of energy efficient equipment, this website contains a host of information on what to look for in advertisements and manufacturers' brochures.
Technical library
Step 3: Check Power Management (PM)!
PM tells your equipment how fast and deep it should go to sleep and how quickly it can wake up. So, once you have picked your model from the ENERGY STAR database:
- Make sure that the selected equipment has the appropriate power management (e.g. ACPI) and that fits your usage and the situation you are in.
- Make sure that the power management features are easy to set up and —if necessary— changed. Ask your vendor and/or consult the technical documents of the equipment you're planning to buy.
Also this website gives you some power management hints for PCs and monitors.