New Energy Guidelines For PCs Aim To Cut Energy Use By 60%

When executives from the world’s largest oil companies say we need to cut back on our onsumers will soon get the chance to help save the planet and some money too, thanks to new guidelines coming out for personal computers.

On Friday, the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star Program will release more stringent requirements for PC manufacturers, aimed at potentially cutting energy use by 60%. For consumers, that could mean savings of anywhere from tens of dollars to $100 a year on electricity bills.
If successful, the program may mean the equivalent of taking 2.7 million cars off the road each year, said Jill Abelson, a spokeswoman for the EPA. Today, more than 180 million computers are in use in the U.S., representing 2% of the country’s annual electricity output, she noted.

The new Energy Star requirements cover all notebook and desktop computers, workstations and small servers. The main requirements call for computer manufacturers to sell power supplies that are 80% efficient and ship all computers with the sleep mode set to kick off up to 30 minutes after inactivity. The cost to computer makers isn’t expected to be high, given it will largely come from the power supplies. The EPA estimates consumers will pay slightly more for Energy Star compliant PCs.

For computer makers, all of this could mean an opportunity to differentiate by offering energy savings bells and whistles. The computer component makers have already recognized the opportunity, coming out with new energy efficient technology. AMD has its cool and quiet technology that enables its processor to provide power depending on application. And Intel Corp. (INTC) just released its Core 2 Extreme X7800 mobile dual-core chip, which has a power-saving feature. The new guidelines also give manufacturers a chance to showcase a feature other than speed.

CNN