Office equipment, such as computers, monitors, printers, copiers, and fax machines, is one of the fastest growing energy load in the business world. Each year, $1.8 trillion are spent on the energy costs associated with operating office equipment.

Many of these pieces of equipment can be used more efficiently to cut energy costs. Or, when you are purchasing new equipment, you can look for energy-saving features, especially on equipment labeled "ENERGY STAR." A typical company can save 30% of the energy costs of running its office equipment.

Computers

Energy use by computers could double by the year 2000. Unfortunately, much of the energy associated with computers is wasted because PCs are often kept on while not in use. This is why it is important to purchase a computer advertised as an ENERGY STAR model, that automatically "goes to sleep" when not in use.

• ENERGY STAR computers automatically power down to 30 watts or less when not in use.
• ENERGY STAR computers are available at no additional cost to you and can actually save you anywhere from $7 to $52 per year in electricity bills.
• ENERGY STAR computers may actually last longer than conventional products because they spend a large portion of time in a low-power sleep mode. By purchasing an ENERGY STAR computer and remembering to turn it off during long periods of non-use, it can actually last ten times as long as a conventional computer.
• ENERGY STAR computers generate less heat than conventional systems. Upgrading your existing equipment to ENERGY STAR can lead to cooling reductions of up to 25 percent. This can create a more comfortable work space for you and your office mates.
• ENERGY STAR computers also tend to be quieter than conventional computers since some have no noisy fans.

Monitors

A significant portion of the energy used in offices is consumed by monitors. However, monitors equipped with a power-management feature can save 60 to 80 percent of energy that would otherwise be wasted. New trends toward larger desktop monitors, color, and higher resolution have increased the amount of energy required to operate monitors. This has made it even more important to choose an ENERGY STAR monitor that automatically powers down when inactive.

• ENERGY STAR monitors automatically power down to 30 watts or less when not in use. To wake up a monitor, all you have to do is simply touch the keyboard or mouse.
• ENERGY STAR monitors emit less heat into the workplace than conventional monitors. This means you will save on your utility bills from heating and cooling load reductions.
• Sleeping ENERGY STAR monitors emit fewer electromagnetic fields (EMF) since they are not displaying any visual image when "asleep."

Printers

Printers are typically left on 24 hours a day, but are active only a small percent of the time. This means conventional printers can waste a lot of energy and money. A better option would be to purchase an ENERGY STAR printer that goes to sleep when not in use.

• ENERGY STAR printers automatically power down to 15-45 watts, depending on the number of pages per minute produced. This automatic "power-down" feature could cut a printer's electricity use by over 65 percent.
• In addition, choosing a printer with a duplexing mode can save a company $30 a month in paper costs.
• Using the power-management feature means your printer will produce less heat. This contributes to a cooler and more comfortable work space, and reduces air-conditioning costs.
• By generating less heat, your printer may last longer and be more reliable.
• Consider printer sharing devices such as a manual printer switch that can route jobs to the printer when the switch is set to receive incoming signals from one of two or more computers.
• Turn printers off at night, on weekends and during extended periods of inactivity.

Copiers

Approximately 7 million copiers are currently in use in homes and businesses across the U.S., and over 1.5 million new copiers are sold each year. Copiers are the most energy-intensive type of office equipment. Because copiers waste energy by sitting idle for several hours each day, there is great potential to improve the energy efficiency of copiers in a variety of ways.

• ENERGY STAR copiers are equipped with a feature that allows them to automatically turn off after a period of inactivity, reducing a copier's annual electricity costs by over 60 percent.
• High-speed copiers are set to automatically make double-sided copies, reducing paper costs by $60 a month.
• Using less paper also saves energy because it takes ten times more energy to manufacture a piece of paper than it does to copy an image onto it.
• If everyone used ENERGY STAR copiers, the amount of paper used could be reduced from more than 700 billion sheets to 500 billion sheets. This adds up to a savings of 1 million tons of paper, enough to go around the would 1,400 times!

Fax Machines

Fax machines are generally turned on 24 hours per day. However, they are only actually in use for about 5 percent of the total time that they are turned on! ENERGY STAR fax machines are designed to save energy by being programmed to reach a low-power state after a specified period of inactivity.

• ENERGY STAR fax machines are equipped with the power-management feature and can reduce energy costs by almost 50 percent.
• A medium-speed ENERGY STAR fax machine uses 25 percent less energy in sleep mode than in standby mode when it is immediately ready to send/receive faxes.
• ENERGY STAR faxes can scan double-sided pages. This will reduce both your copying and your paper costs.
• Consider using recycled toner cartridges and recycled paper to reduce the flow of solid waste that ends up in national landfills.
• Using a full-page cover sheet for each fax transmission can greatly increase the amount of paper used when faxing a message. Stick-on labels that are placed on the first page of the fax message not only reduces the amount of energy and paper used, but can also save on telephone charges.

This information derived from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR Program.