ENERGY STAR Certification Updated for Computers
July 27th, 2007 by Kevin
Update 7/31/07: Nine Apple computers are now Energy Star certified. 143 computers are now Energy Star certified total.
On July 20th, ENERGY STAR’s new specifications for computers went into effect. Today I listened in on a Department of Energy conference call which discussed the new specifications, which are expected to save consumers and businesses more than $1.8 billion in energy costs over the next 5 years and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equal to the annual emissions of 2.7 million vehicles.
The new specifications include:
- Use of energy efficient power supply. Desktops must use power supplies that are 80% efficient
- Operate efficiently in Standby/Off, Sleep, and Idle modes. Desktops must use less than 2 W in standby mode
- Include and enable power management features of the system and provide user education about these feature
Only about 125 117 desktops (note: the number 125 was communicated on the call and is not representative of the list linked below) and laptops currently meet the new stringent requirements. The list of computers is available as an Excel spreadsheet (which also provides how the computer is Energy Star certified). Of note, Apple currently does not have one computer that meets the new requirements on that list. Dell only has three. Lenovo and Gateway currently offer the most models meeting the newest criteria. Manufacturers have known of these changes for months so it is surprising that Apple has no computers available that meet the new specifications certified as Energy Star per the website.
These new ENERGY STAR specifications should help home theater computers as well. Of all the computers used in the home, HTPCs are most likely to be left on all the time, especially if they are used as a Tivo replacement.
Update: Manufacturers have until January to have their products certified as Energy Star. Most federal agencies have requirements to purchase EPEAT computers, of which Energy Star is a requirement. By January, federal agencies have to purchase computers that are Energy Star certified under the new specifications. Apple should be able to meet these specifications in time. Energy Star is developed in conjunction with the manufacturers.
Second Update: Apparently, Apple has a couple of models, like the Mac Mini, that are Energy Star 4.0 compliant, but are not currently certified as such.
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Yeah, I mean manufacturers have known of these changes for months?? So why don’t they just completely redesign all their machines to fit these new standards, and then all they need to do is get the plans out to the manufacturers to retool their machines. It shouldn’t take more than a few hours at the most to get all that down. WHY are the deliberatly dragging their feet on this!!
This is great an all, but lets be realistic, it can take a while to create new machines based on these standards, saying anything else is just idioitic.
Yes indeed. This is a ridiculous article with loaded language and lots of missing information (a bad combination to be sure).
A better tack to take might have been a historical review, so we know who the players are and to what extent they have fitted themselves into this certification in the past. The follow that up with some reasonable detail on exactly what these new changes are.
The three points listed above are innocuous enough, but one would assume that most computers already meet them. The key point here is exactly what part of the spec companies are *not* meeting. Is it the 80% efficiency? Or is it merely that vaguely worded stuff about “educating” the consumer?
Following it up with a word about what the companies need to do to pass the certification and what the response has been from them would be a lot more illuminating than simply saying that most companies are not meeting your standard.
Either way Macs are still disgustingly overrated. *Look at me with my one mouse button*
Jawa: You’re stupid.
The mouse on all new Macs have 4 buttons. I think your intelligence is over-rated.
Jeremy: That was my thought exactly — what is the specific reason that most of these computers do not meet the new standard?
Interestting article. He’s right is saying that Apple’s current products don’t meet the new specs, but a 20-inch iMac for instance, uses only 3.4W in standby. AND THAT INCLUDES THE MONITOR! All the other desktops are measured without the monitor. If you add the monitor, then NONE of the other desktops would meet the new specs either, and you would note that the Apple desktops are in actual fact the most environmentally friendly.
Apple is one of the founding members of the Energy Star Alliance.
Want some real facts on Apple desktops energy consumption? Read this: http://www.apple.com/environment/resources/specs.html
Just to clarify some things…..the article is not really meant to be anti-Apple. I just thought it was interesting they were the only manufacturer that has no computer meeting the new standards. Basically, Apple has until January to meet the standards our the U.S. government will not be able to buy any Apple computers. This is not to say that Apple computers are not energy efficient.
“Lenovo,” not “Lenova.”
@ PD: I fixed the typo. Thank you.
Like Jeremy was saying, more info could be useful to know in what ways Apple and these other companies are not meeting the standards. Its possible that Apple could be in a catch right now because like Maarten said, they include a monitor along with the rest of the computer. But it could be as simple as “providing user education about these features”. And cak, do you really expect all these companies, Apple included, to drop working on their current projects to make more efficient hardware (which I am sure they are already doing). All these computers have been gradually getting more energy efficient; who’s to say that the next model of the computers won’t fit these requirements?
[...] Apple Hype: Another Apple attempt at sales of cool looking keyboard - New iMac Keyboard Apple Computer: No longer good for your electric bill - Loss Of ENERGY STAR for Apple [...]
[...] Long story short: Apple doesn’t have a single computer that meets the Energy Star standards. [...]
I think its funny that they point out the power in ’standby’ mode… All 3 of my macs are the very first computers I’ve owned in 12 years that actually go into and out of standby properly and reliably! Every Windows Pc that I’ve had either fails to go into standby or crashes as it tries to awaken. Gotta be a lot of wasted watts there over the years- energy star or not.
I’m not even gonna get into how much more efficient OS X is to use which in and of itself saves energy if you can get things done faster.
[...] Article Link [...]
to Maarten:
Actually… if you have a decent monitor it shouldn’t draw much power on standby. I checked mine and it’s less than 1 Watt/Hour, and its a big CRT. Figure lcd screens should be even less..
Overall, I don’t see why any of these things take so long to do. Its been obvious for years that computers and all other machines draw a huge amount of power on standby and it costs business’s and consumers billions a year, and the environmental impact it makes is horrible. Good initiative but could have been done sooner, and more should be done as well..
[...] This was an interesting article I found on Digg (I’ve been looking for something to actually blog about!). It seems that last week, new, stricter ENERGY STAR specifications for computers went into effect. Just like that, Apple has gone from having all of its consumer-level computers be ENERGY STAR compliant, to none of its computers. Strange given that they’ve had a couple of months to get with the program, however they apparently have six more months to catch up. Let’s hope that better energy management is one of the features coming up in those new Macs that all the rumor sites are abuzz about…read more | digg story [...]
[...] [Via Floppyhead] [...]
[...] [Via Floppyhead] [...]
[...] [Via Floppyhead] [...]
[...] [Via Floppyhead] [...]
[...] Current Apple machines don’t meet new EnergyStar guidelines Uh-oh, Steve: Apple just got a little less green. New, more stringent requirements for EnergyStar certification went into effect last week, and while most manufacturers have a model or two that meets the updated regs, not a single shipping Mac qualifies. Apple’s taken a lot of heat in the past for its environmental policies, and while Steve’s blasted back with stats of his own and committed to steps like totally eliminating CCFL backlights in Apple displays, the loss of something like EnergyStar certification isn’t going to sit so well with critics — or shareholders, for that matter. Manufacturers have until January to update their machines or lose the certification, so this isn’t a huge blow, but Apple’s been insistent that it’s more eco-conscious that other companies — looks like it’s put up or shut up time. [Via Floppyhead] [...]
It would seem that the list was updated since you posted because I see several Apple products on Energy Star’s list (MacBook, MacBook Pro, Mac Pro, and Mac mini). Looking at the Statistics, the file was created last October and updated today.
Time for a 3rd update.
The Panasonic TH-58PZ700U HDTV is very energy efficient, only 0.3 watts on standby !