The ENERGY STAR consumer electrical equipment energy rating system
ENERGY STAR is a US government initiative which has been adopted by the EU, and is designed to give consumers of electrical equipment a way of identifying high efficiency eletrical products.
Electrical items that meet the ENERGY STAR standard have the ENERGY STAR logo on the packaging. The initiative is currently voluntary, and the qualifying criteria cover energy consumption both in the standby and in the use phase, and will be further developed and adapted to future technology and market evolution.
Why is it a good idea to buy ENERGY STAR rated electrical products?
Over an average lifetime of 5-6 years (EU stats) and at an electricity rate of £0.08/kWh, the most efficient ENERGY STAR equipment could save you as much as £160 in energy for a single desktop computer and printer.
You’ll also be reducing your impact on the environment, which has got to be good! When you take into account all the items you may own, and the fact that older electrical items are less efficient, you could be adding up to 30% onto your annual energy consumption.
Is the ENERGY STAR program relevant for home-based and office businesses too?
Office equipment accounts for a significant and ever increasing share of the EUs total electricity consumption. By 2010, office equipment (not including consumer electronics) will make up some 8.9% of the electricity bill of the average EU household.
At a rate of £0.08/kWh , average electricity expenditure per EU household on residential office equipment will be over £30/yr. Total annual electricity expenditure for citizens for home office equipment will be close to € 7-8 billion (€ 7000-8000 million).
The ENERGY STAR directive currently isn’t mandatory for businesses, but the use and disposal of electrical equipment is covered by other government initiatives such as the WEEE directive regulations.
Office equipment has by far the the highest saving potential of all the group of electronic products, and reductions of over 50% are possible with the appropriate policies and measures in place.
The ENERGY STAR rating system takes into account a number of variables dependant on the type of product, such as the materials used and the standby and ‘On’ electricity consumption levels. A complete list of the products that have the ENERGY STAR recommendation is available on the ENERGY STAR EU website.
