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Energy 101 Electronics & Office Equipment Office Equipment

Office Equipment

Office equipment is no longer just used in the office. The ever-growing number of personal computers and popularity of the home office has set the stage for a potentially massive increase in your home electricity bill. The largest issue with these devices (computers, printers, fax machines, etc.), is that they are often left on for 24 hours a day. Luckily, energy efficient models integrate technologies that allow them to perform their tasks and then enter a low-power state when not in use.

Many of these products cost the same upfront, but will consume less energy over their lifetimes

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Product Types


How It Works

The key feature of energy efficient office equipment is the power management technology that enables the device to “power down” during periods of inactivity. Within each type of technology, the size, level of use, and special features allow for varying amounts of energy savings, but ENERGY STAR certification guarantees lower energy usage while performing tasks and the presence of a low-power mode.  

Low Cost Savings Tips:

  • Regardless of whether you have energy efficient equipment or not, turn devices off at night and on the weekends wherever possible.
  • Check your energy efficient devices to make sure that their power management features have been enabled. Some models require the activation of the energy-saving technology.
  • Set your computer to automatically enter “sleep mode” instead of using a screen saver
  • Put devices like copiers, scanners, and printers on the same power strip and turn the strip to “on” when you need to complete a task—keep it in the “off” position as a default.
Easy
  • If every home office product purchased in the U.S. this year were ENERGY STAR qualified, Americans would save $200 million in annual energy costs while preventing the equivalent of the emissions of 250,000 cars.
  • You should turn off your monitor if you’re going to be away for more than 20 minutes and both the CPU and monitor if you're not going to use your PC for more than 2 hours
  • Modern monitors do not need screen-savers—instead of “saving” your screen or energy, they usually use more. 
  • When used properly, desktop computers with power management features use about 70% less electricity than those without.
  • It takes ten times as much energy to make a piece of paper than to put an image on it. Therefore, high capacity energy efficient printers must be able to print double-sided.