Simple changes can make a huge difference in our fight to reduce energy use. This is a great example. It is also a great example of states leading the way towards a more efficient future. The winds of change may be blowing in Washington, DC. But they are not in CA and many US states, thank God.
California to Regulate Energy Use of Desktop Computers and Monitors
Computers,
long a symbol of the digital age, are now moving into a more
earth-friendly future: California’s state energy agency voted
unanimously Wednesday to approve new regulations for energy efficiency in desktop computers and monitors.
The
rules, passed by the agency, the California Energy Commission, are the
country’s first attempt to regulate the energy use of desktop computers
and represent another step in the state’s efforts to drastically lower
its greenhouse gas emissions to address climate change.
Computers
use more energy than many other consumer electronics — the electricity
used to power all of the computers in the country is the equivalent of
the output of 30 large power plants emitting 65 million metric tons of
carbon dioxide equivalent every year, according to estimates from the Natural Resources Defense Council.
The
new standards, some parts of which go into effect Jan. 1, 2018, would
ultimately reduce carbon dioxide emissions in California by an estimated
730,000 tons, less than 1 percent of total statewide emissions, and
save consumers about $370 million on electric bills annually, based on the most recent emissions data. The energy commission projects that the standards will save about as much electricity as 350,000 households use in a year.
“This
has been a long time in the making,” said Pierre Delforge, who works on
energy efficiency in the technology sector for the Natural Resources
Defense Council, adding, “It’s a milestone, especially in terms of the
energy efficiency of computers and monitors.”
California
is leading the country in its efforts to fight climate change, and this
represents an important step, officials said. Gov. Jerry Brown pledged earlier this year to cut California’s emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030.
Because
the state is home to one in eight Americans, standards put in place
could become de facto standards for the entire country, and, when it
comes to international brands, the global market.
About
6 percent of desktop computers and 14 percent of monitors meet these
standards, and the commission expects that all of the computers and
monitors currently in use will be replaced in California. If the
standards were to be adopted nationwide, it would mean savings of about
$3 billion on consumers’ electricity bills, according to Mr. Delforge,
and a reduction of about 14 million metric tons of carbon pollution
annually.
The
process of creating these standards began in 2012, when the energy
commission established the first set of rules for computer energy
efficiency. Consumer advocates, environmental groups and industry
representatives helped devise the new rules.
Much of the savings come from altering how much energy computers and monitors use when they are off
or not being used, sometimes referred to as idle or vampire power. The
regulations will reduce idle power in these devices by 50 percent over
the next four years.
Some of the measures also affect the devices when they are operational by improving power supply.
Rick
Goss, the director of the Information Technology Industry Council’s
environment and sustainability program, issued a statement calling the
standards “ambitious but achievable.”
Environmental
advocates say that changing how much power computers and monitors use
in idle mode can cut greenhouse gas emissions without requiring
consumers to change their behavior.
During
a news conference on the adoption of the standards, Mr. Delforge spoke
of the rules’ economic savings for consumers, improved efficiency for
products and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. “What’s not to
like?” he said.
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