Energy Star
The Energy Star standard was developed in the United States by the Environment Protection Agency and then adopted in Australia. ENERGY STAR is an international standard for energy efficient office equipment including computers, Printers, MFDs, Photocopiers and home electronics such as TVs, audio products and DVD players.
By buying equipment that complies with the ENERGY STAR standard, and making sure its energy saving features are enabled, you can save money on your electricity bills and help the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Energy Allstars
The Federal Government through the Department of Environment and Water Resources, Australian Greenhouse Office has created a new criteria, The Energy Allstars criteria which have more stringent standby power consumption requirements than the current Energy Star standard.
Energy Allstars makes it easy for customers to find and compare the most energy efficient appliances and commercial and industrial equipment for sale in Australia.
Only the top performing whitegoods, air conditioners, lighting products, office equipment and household fixtures are eligible for listing on Energy Allstars, ensuring long term cost and energy savings. Kyocera products are compliant with the Energy Star and Energy All stars program.
Energy Allstars web site.
The Australian ENERGY STAR programme is a joint initiative of the Australian Government, and State and Territory Governments
Energy Savings Tips
General
Office equipment spends significant time consuming energy while waiting to perform a task. Using energy as efficiently as possible during this period is crucial to keeping energy use and costs to a minimum.
ENERGY STAR products are capable of enabling energy saving features to reduce how much power is used during periods of inactivity. Enabling this feature is important to running office equipment as efficiently as possible. Step by step Instructions explaining how to enable ENERGY STAR features on most common types of computers and external modems are found at www.energystar.gov.au/consumers/stepbystep.html
If you can’t enable ENERGY STAR on your equipment, an alternative energy-saving software product called Energy Management Option, EMO, is available. This software can switch off your computer when you’re not using it and shut it down at night. It also provides calculations on energy, cost and greenhouse gas emissions savings which are useful details to include in your business’s energy audits and reports.
Powering down your office equipment also has the additional benefits of reduced noise and heat.
Printers, MFDs & Photocopiers
- Before you print, think about whether you really need a printed copy.
- Laser printers, MFDs use similar technology to photocopiers, so their energy consumption is similar to that of small photocopiers.
- Inkjet or modern dot matrix printers whilst they are generally cheaper to buy, are slower than laser printers and significantly more expensive to run, generating greater waste with low toner yields. It is recommended to analyse your needs prior to purchase and calculate the most cost efficient purchase which provides the minimum impact on the environment.
- If you are buying a Printer, MFD or photocopier ask your supplier about waste, takeback programs, what are the Preventative maintenance cycles, how often do you have to replace a drum? Products with long life components and higher toner yields will generate significantly less waste over the life of your product. Be informed, some Printer process units take over 900 years to break down in landfill. If your supplier cannot provide this information find another supplier who can.
- Communicate by email instead of paper.
- Some printers today are Ozone free, ask your supplier about Ozone emissions.
- Ask your supplier if the Printer, MFD or Photocopier is compliant to the RoHS standard?
- Ask your supplier what do they do with all the packaging, are they compliant to the National Packaging Covenant?
- Turn off the printer when you’re not using it and at the end of the working day.
- Set sleep mode default times to the lowest available setting that is convenient for your needs.
- Adjust your margins and type size to fit more on the page.
