ENERGY STAR® Green MachinesComputer Specification 4.0 & Beyond*

Chicago-Kent College of LawEnergy LawSpring 2008

Brian O. WatsonApril 30, 2008

* The ENERGY STAR® specification for computers is currently under revision for Version 5.0. Tier 1 of the Version 4.0 Specification went into effect on July 20, 2007.

Presentation Overview

• ENERGY STAR® Generally• ENERGY STAR® Computer

Specifications• ENERGY STAR® Power

Supply Specifications• ENERGY STAR® Shortfalls

Know Your Eco Labels

What Is ENERGY STAR®?

ENERGY STAR® is:a joint program of the EPA and the Department of Energy geared toward helping Americans save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.

ENERGY STAR® principally is:a voluntary labeling program designed to identify and promote energy-efficient products through its partnerships with more than 9,000 private and public sector organizations

ENERGY STAR® costs (MM):

40+ Product Categories Are Covered by ENERGY STAR®

AppliancesClothes washers

DishwashersRefrigeratorsDehumidifiersAir cleaners

Water coolers

Heating &Cooling

Central ACHeat pumps

BoilersFurnaces

Ceiling fansRoom AC

Ventilating fans

Home Electronics

Battery chargersCordless phones

Answering machinesTV/VCRs

DVD productsHome audio

External power adaptors

Office EquipmentComputersMonitorsPrintersCopiers

ScannersFax machinesMulti-function

devices

LightingCFLs

Residential light fixtures

Exit signsTraffic signals

Home EnvelopeHome sealingRoof products

Windows/Doors

Commercial Food ServiceRefrigerators

FreezersFryers

SteamersHot food cabinetsVending machines

ENERGY STAR® Specification Development Process

ENERGY STAR® Computer Version 4.0 Timeline

July, 2006Stakeholder Comments Due on Draft 3.

July, 2006EPA will distribute an update document to all stakeholders

informing them of the Agency’s approach for workstations.

August, 2006Industry Data Due to EPA

on Current Models (all product categories).

August, 2006EPA releases proposed levels in the form of an Update.

September, 2006Stakeholder comments due on

proposed levels.

July, 2007Specification is effective,

EC Approval

September, 2006Stakeholder Comments Due

on Final Draft.

September, 2006EPA Releases Final Draft with Levels

October, 2006EPA Releases Final Specification.

Consumers Trust ENERGY STAR®

The ENERGY STAR® mark ranks among the highest level of influence on product purchase among all consumer emblems, similar in ranking to the Good Housekeeping Seal and Consumer Reports.

26%31%

24% 28% 28%38%

30% 28% 26%31% 30% 27% 26%

30%

36%

34%32% 34%

32%

33% 33%

25% 16% 17%13%

8%

35%23%

31% 28% 25%17%

23% 24%

20%

10% 7%

6%

3%

GH Seal AHA FDA USDE Cons.Reports

ADA USDA BBB UL USDAOrganic

JD Power USP NSF

Tremendous Influence

Great Deal of Influence

Some Influence

91% 90% 89% 88% 87% 86%87% 85%

71%

57% 54%

46%

37%

Consumer Value in ENERGY STAR®

• Consumer awareness and desire for efficiency savings is high, both economically and altruistically.

• In 2006, more than 65% of households nationwide recognized the ENERGY STAR® label.

• Of households that purchased ENERGY STAR® products in the past year:– More than 60% of them reported the label as

influential to their purchasing decision. – More than 70% of them reported they are likely to

recommend ENERGY STAR® products to friends.

The Question

• How much energy can we expect to save in 2008 through ENERGY STAR®?

Expected annual savings in 2008

An academic calculation of: - 25.5 GW of peak load savings - 29.9 MMtC of emission avoidance

Summary of National Residential Electricity Consumption by End Use for 2020

Electronics is 19% of total residential electricity

Why Computers?

• 100 million office computers use 1% of the nation’s commercial electricity demand

• As many as 60% of employed adults in the U.S. do not turn their PC off at night

It’s 3 a.m. ... and our federal computers are still running!

• The U.S. government is the largest energy consumer in the nation

Federal Government is Supposedly Focused on Its Computing Use

1999

Today’s Computing Reality

• Average desktop wastes nearly half of the power delivered

• Servers lose approximately one-third of their power

• 90% of desktops do not utilize optimized power management settings

Power Management Myths

• Myth: Screensavers are needed to eliminate “burn-in” problems.– False: Modern displays have eliminated this need. So turn on the power

management and turn off the digital aquarium.

• Myth: More energy is used to turn on your computer, than to leave it on when not in use.– False: The small surge of power when a computer is turned on is

significantly less than the energy used by running the computer when not needed.

• Myth: Shutting down computers daily does more harm than good, and shortens the life of the computer.– False: Modern computers are designed to withstand frequent

shutdowns.

Office Equipment: After-hours Power States

ENERGY STAR® Computer Specification

ENERGY STAR® Notebooks

• ENERGY STAR® Basics for Notebooks1. Requirements for the AC adapter

(notebook power brick)

2. Idle power requirements

3. Sleep power requirements, and

4. Standby (Off) power requirements

ENERGY STAR® Desktops

Though it is the smartest device in the house, the desktop computer has been dumb when it comes to conserving energy. It's as if every household has a big, gas-guzzling vehicle (or two) in its driveway, all with engines racing. Most people have more computer than they need, says Bruce Nordman, a researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. “It's like we're all driving sport utility computers.”

And those hulking, desktop PCs gulp power

because they've traditionally been shipped with their throttle stuck wide open. Of course, the energy wasted is more that of a big light bulb than an SUV. But if desktop PCs glowed like their equivalent 150-watt bulb, we'd think to dim them or even switch them off. They don't glow, and few PC owners bother to automatically power them down.

David LaGesse, The PC's Dirty Little Secret: It Wastes Power Shamelessly, U.S. News & World Report (April 17, 2008) (emphasis added)

ENERGY STAR® Desktops

Final Version 4.0: Effective Qualification Rates*

* For Tier 1 Specification testing during rules drafting with data coverage of 141 desktops from six manufacturers and 89 notebooks from six manufacturers.

• No interim grandfathering of ENERGY STAR® Version 3.0 compliance• On July 20, 2007, the effective date:

– Only 125 desktops and laptops compliant– Lenovo offered the most models with 78– Gateway with 16 * * *

– Dell had three– HP had one– Apple had (n)one

Undisputed: Power Management Makes an Impact

• Miami-Dade School District– PCs being kept on for an average of 21 hours each day to 10 hours per day– Miami-Dade went from being in the 35th percentile, at $461,655 per month, to the

fourth percentile, at $243,157 per month– Estimates that PC power management will save the district at least $2MM per year

• General Electric– $2.5MM a year through approximately 75,000 PCs– Nearly $6.5MM over three years

• City of Boston– reduced energy consumption on its computers by an average of 44% since it

started using PC power management software– 180 kW per PC per year on 1,500 PCs in Boston City Hall

• Intel– 65,000 laptop displays and 45,000 desktop monitors worldwide

– Save about 9,650,000 kWh over the next year

– At $0.05 per kWh, Intel will realize an annual savings of $482,000

How Are We As A Global Citizen?

Program Country Date Type Notes of Interest

Power Supplies: Identify the ENERGY STAR®?

Here it is on the new box you bought!

Now, let’s see if you can find it on your power

supply?

Why External Power Supplies?

Estimated Power Supply Sales and Number in Use

Source: Power Supply Efficiency What Have We Learned – Ecos Consulting February 2004 prepared for California Energy Commission* PIER Program

Why External Power Supplies?

• EPA estimates that there are possibly ten power adapters for every person in the U.S. (as many as 3.1 billion in total).– About 6 to 11% of U.S. electricity use is converted from high

voltage AC to low voltage DC in power supplies: (200 to 340 billion kW-h/year worth $16 to $27 billion/year

– About 3 to 4% of U.S. electricity use is consumed inside power supplies: (100 to 140 billion kW-h/year worth $8 to $11 billion/year)

– About 1 to 2% of U.S. electricity use could be saved by more efficient power supplies (35 to 70 billion kW-h/year worth $3.4 to $6.8 billion/year)

• ENERGY STAR® Proposed revisions to no load and active mode requirements (2008)

Source: Power Supply Efficiency What Have We Learned – Ecos Consulting February 2004 prepared for California Energy Commission* PIER Program

National Electricity Use and Savings Potential forVarious Products Containing Power Supplies

• “Efficiency” = power out / power in • Measure both when product is in active mode (operating)

and standby modes • If product has high active power use or long average

hours of use/day, active will dominate– (If not, standby mode may dominate)

• Ideally, a power supply-containing product has minimal standby consumption, high operating efficiency across a wide range of load conditions, and is smart enough to “sleep” after inactivity.

What Is an “Efficient” Power Supply?

Power Conversion

MicroprocessorPower Supply

“OFF” - 17 Watts ON - 21 Watts

Thermographs of Computer Tower

Why So Bad?

Losses Are Somewhat a Matter of Design

Price vs. Value Propositions

Goal: Lowest Price

• Take cost out “at all costs”• Quality and reliability can drop• No product differentiation• Least common denominator

design: no features, no profits• Penny-wise/pound foolish:

What saves the buyer $1 up-front can add $10 or $20 to lifetime energy costs

• All of us pay more – higher energy bills, more air pollution, more new power plants and power lines

Goal: Highest Value

• Emphasis on clever design and differentiation: multiple viable paths to success

• Minimize lifecycle cost: purchase price + lifetime maintenance, energy, & pollution costs

• Specs, labels, and utility programs help build a message of value: “may cost more, but worth more”

• Products more desirable: smaller, quieter, cooler, more convenient

Savings Potential is Huge

• What if all linear power supplies were improved from about 30% efficiency to 80%?

• What if all switching power supplies were improved from about 70% efficiency to 80%?– Well, annual savings would be more than 1% of total U.S.

electricity use: about 32 billion kW-h and more than $2.5 billion in lower energy bills.

• Very cost effective – incremental costs often less than $1 (in some cases pennies) per power supply.

• Additional savings possible from substantial reductions in standby mode power consumption (currently averages 50 to 100 watts/home).

What Is 80 Plus?*

• 80 PLUS is an electric utility-funded incentive program to integrate more energy-efficient power supplies into desktop computers and servers.

– Ecos Consulting & EPRI pay incentives and provide marketing and design/test support for all qualifying PCs shipped into the service territories of participating utilities throughout the U.S.

• Market barriers prevented widespread manufacture and use of highly efficient power supplies

• 80 PLUS is a manufacturer buy-down program for efficient power supplies in desktop PCs and desktop-derived servers

– Participating utilities and energy efficiency organizations across North America have contributed over $5 million of incentives to help the computer industry transition to 80 PLUS certified power supplies.

• Qualifying units must be at least 80% efficient at 20%, 50%, and 100% load, plus have a power factor of at least 0.9 at 100% load.

• Utility payments of $5 per qualifying PC will lead to annual energy savings of 85 kW-h/unit, or more than $25 over a computer’s 4 year life.

* It’s not ENERGY STAR®? ENERGY STAR® Computer Specification (Version 4.0) goes into effect. The specification includes 80 PLUS power supply efficiency levels for desktop computers (July 20, 2007)

80 PLUS Efficiency Test Results

352 Compliant Models from 66 Manufacturers

Progress on the Federal Level?

LocalCooling.com: Conscious Way to Expend Electricity

Behind the Green Curtain

• World of Tech Big tech companies are going green– … but what about the off-brand subcontractors that actually

make their components?– ... But what about your old PC?

ENERGY STAR® Appliances Save More Than the Label Suggests

ENERGY STAR® Conclusion