The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a revised specification for imaging equipment under its Energy Star program. The specification will become effective July 1, 2009.
Imaging products (printers, copiers, scanners, fax machines, and all-in-one devices) that have earned the Energy Star will be 14% more efficient than current qualified models, while continuing to deliver the features and functionality consumers have come to expect. Among the entities that submitted comments on the revised specification were Canon, Epson, Sharp Electronics, and Xerox.
According to Energy Star, if all imaging products sold in the United States met the new specification, consumers would save nearly $500 million a year in energy costs and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of more than 500 million cars. There are more than 200 million imaging equipment units in U.S. buildings today. Together, these units consume 40 billion kWh each year, accounting for 2% of U.S. building sector electricity consumption.
The Energy Star label has a track record advancing the market for energy efficient imaging equipment. The market share for products qualified under the current specification has risen since it was established in 2006 when only about 25% of models were efficient enough to meet it.
For more information on Energy Star qualified imaging products and the revised specification, visit this link…
To read about other issues related to office technology, read “A Change In Direction” from TFM September 2008.
