Computers and monitors
Note: the Australian programme has a formal 12 month lag period behind those dates implemented in the US.
You should know...
- If left inactive, ENERGY STAR qualified computers enter a low-power mode and use 15 watts or less. New chip technologies make power management features more reliable, dependable, and user-friendly than even just a few years ago.
- Spending a large portion of time in low-power mode not only saves energy, but helps equipment run cooler and last longer.
- Businesses that use ENERGY STAR enabled office equipment may realize additional savings on air conditioning and maintenance.
- Over its lifetime, ENERGY STAR qualified equipment in a single home office (e.g., computer, monitor, printer, and fax) can save enough electricity to light an entire home for more than 4 years.
- By leaving the machine on around the clock, you run up your electric bill, you suck in dust and you make your equipment/computer more vulnerable to power surges.
- An ENERGY STAR label is not a guarantee that your machine is saving energy. Always check to ensure that the ENERGY STAR features are enabled.
- Computers: A well-designed ENERGY STAR qualified computer will not lose its network connection, which could lead to a loss of data, while in the low-power or sleep mode. Most of the computers that are being manufactured today include a capability to sleep intelligently on a network.
- Monitors: Only after the machine has been used 20 to 30 years will switching it on and off five times or more a day increase the frequency of faults in power transistors in the control and deflection parts, .
- Screen Savers: Despite common belief, a screen saver does not save energy. In fact, more often than not, a screen saver will not only draw power for the monitor but will also keep the CPU from shutting down.
- Games: Many popular computer games, when running in the background while multitasking, will not allow the computer to go to sleep-even if the game is paused.
Definitions
- Monitors: A cathode-ray tube (CRT), flat panel display (e.g., a liquid crystal display) or other display device and its associated electronics. A monitor may be sold separately or integrated into the computer chassis. This definition is intended primarily to cover standard monitors designed for use with personal computers. The following may also be considered a monitor: mainframe terminals, and physically separate display units.
- Integrated Computer System: Systems in which the computer and visual display monitor are combined into a single unit. Such systems must meet all of the following criteria: it is not possible to measure the power consumption of the two components separately; and the system is connected to the wall outlet through a single power cable.
- Enable: To set the power management feature of a given product such that the power saving features are automatically activated as specified in the product's ENERGY STAR Partnership Agreement with the manufacturer.
- Computer's Low-Power or "Sleep" Mode: The reduced power state that the computer enters after a period of inactivity.
- Monitor's First Low-Power or "Sleep" Mode: The reduced power state that the monitor enters after receiving instructions from a computer or via other functions. A blank screen and reduction in power consumption characterize this mode. The monitor returns to full-power mode upon sensing a request from a user.
- Monitor's Second Low-Power or "Deep Sleep" Mode: The second reduced power state that the monitor enters after receiving instructions from a computer or via other functions. A significant reduction in power consumption characterises this mode. The monitor returns to full- power mode upon sensing a request from a user.
- Wake Event: A user, programmemed, or external event or stimulus that causes the computer to transition from its low-power or sleep mode to its active mode of operation. Examples of wake events include, but are not limited to, movement of the mouse, keyboard activity or a button press on the chassis, and in the case of external events, stimulus conveyed via a telephone, remote control, network, cable modem, satellite, etc.
Key product criteria - Computers
- Automatically enter a low-power "sleep" mode after a period of inactivity
- Energy-efficiency specifications based on power supply
- Include mechanisms through which the low-power modes of qualified monitors can be activated.
Technical specifications
- The vendor must configure the computer so that it automatically enters a low-power 'sleep' mode after a period of 15-30 minutes of inactivity, with the power consumption in sleep mode dependant on the rating of the unit's power supply as follows:
| Model Ship Date | Guideline | Power Consumption | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Before 1 July 2001 |
| Power Supply | Watts (W) in Sleep Mode |
|
< 200W > 200W |
< 30W < 15% of power supply's maximum continuous output rating | ||
|
On & After 1 July 2001 |
|
Guideline A: < 200W > 200W < 300W > 300W < 350W > 350W < 400W > 400W |
< 15W < 20W < 25W < 30W < 10% of power supply's maximum continuous output rating |
|
|
Guideline B* | < 15% of power supply's maximum continuous output rating | |
*Note: Manufacturers may qualify computers as ENERGY STAR compliant under one of two guidelines, A or B. Guideline B is only applicable under specific conditions. Power consumption is based on size of power supply.
| Model Ship Date | Guideline | Power Consumption (Sleep Mode) |
|---|---|---|
|
Before 1 July 2001 |
| < 45W |
|
On & After 1 July 2001 |
| < 35W |
| Low-Power Mode | First Low-Power "Sleep Mode" | Second Low-Power "Deep Sleep" Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum Watts in Low-Power State | < 15 W | < 8 W |
Additional guidelines
- Power management features must be activated before shipping with initial preset default times.
- Computers must include one or more mechanisms to power-down an ENERGY STAR qualified monitor.
- Computers must be able to "sleep" in any operating system pre-installed before shipping, unless clearly stated in product literature.
- If the computer is shipped with the capability to be on a network, it shall retain in sleep mode its ability to respond to wake events directed or targeted to the computer while on a network. If the wake event requires the computer to exit the sleep mode and perform a task, the computer shall re-enter its sleep mode after a period of inactivity following the completion of the task requested.
