Reducing Office Equipment Energy Use

On-line Resources:

The electricity used by common office equipment--computers, monitors, printers, copiers, and fax machines--is a significant portion of the electricity used in commercial buildings.  Reducing the amount of this electricity has important environmental and economic benefits. 

The foundation of efforts to address office equipment electricity is the U.S. EPA's Energy Star program.  Energy Star has transformed the office equipment market so that most office equipment sold today has significant energy-saving capabilities.  Despite the success of Energy Star to date, there are actions that individual organizations can take to increase their savings in office equipment electricity, and this page provides resources to do that.

This page provides links to resources for those who want to reduce the use of electricity in office equipment. 

The 'Guide' below reviews electricity use of office equipment and describes program elements that motivated people can use to reduce this energy use in their organization. . 

"Guide to Reducing Office Equipment Electricity Use"

Word 97/98 version | Word 6.0 version | PDF

Additional Guide Resources

The following resources are provided to aid in the implementation of a program to reduce office equipment electricity.

The computer files listed below facilitate the work described in this guide. The spreadsheets (.xls, .xlw) are in Microsoft Excel 5.0/95 format; the word processing files (.doc) are in Microsoft Word '97 format; and the posters (.ppt) in Microsoft Powerpoint.

Computational Tools

Plugload.xls, Excel 97/98 : calculates annual electricity use and potential savings

PgmCost.xls : calculates the cost of program implementation methods

Controls.xls : calculates savings from office occupancy controls

Sample Policies

Purchase.doc : purchasing policy

Staffpol.doc : staff policy

Survey/Audit resources

ISSurvey.doc : interview questions for IS managers and staff

OfSurvey.doc : interview questions for office managers and staff (Audit forms)

Promotional messages

Email1.doc, Email2.doc : sample email messages

Poster1.ppt, Poster2.ppt : sample posters

Handout.doc : handout flyer for configuration visits

Web pages

Ofmach.htm : web pages and graphics, describing program and how to perform Windows 95 monitor power-down configuration.

Glossary

Word 97/98 version | Word 6.0 version | PDF version (not yet available) | HTML version

The following resources are not contained within the Guide.

Auditing Office Equipment

Word 97/98 version | Word 6.0 version | PDF

Troubleshooting info from the User Guide.

Word 97/98 version | Word 6.0 version | PDF version (not yet available)

Power levels, operating patterns, annual energy use info

Word 97/98 version | Word 6.0 version | PDF

Other Useful Resources

U.S. EPA Energy Star Office Equipment Program The main Energy Star site, with links to pages on product listings, program requirements, and purchasing suggestions.

Purchasing Language This document, on the Energy Star site, has specific language for use in purchasing contracts, to help get the most out of efficient office equipment.

User Guide to Power Management in PCs and Monitors
   This earlier guide is more technically oriented than the Guide and resources above, and provides detail useful for those highly interested in the topic.

Product Efficiency Recommendations These recommendations, prepared for the Department of Energy's Federal Energy Management Program, provide useful advice on purchasing a wide variety of products, including office equipment.

These resources were created in the context of a project to estimate the existing and potential energy savings in City of San Francisco office equipment, with an emphasis on power management capabilities of Energy Star compliant equipment.

The authors would like to collect audit information that has been carefully gathered. If you can share audit results, please contact us.

For further information on the San Francisco project contact:

LBNL: Bruce Nordman

City of San Francisco: Roger Picklum