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Office Efficiency

Save energy on office equipment
Office equipment case study
Office equipment tips  

Save energy on office equipment

Computers, fax machines, printers and photocopiers are indispensable to running most businesses. In fact, office equipment is the fastest-growing electrical load in the business world. In the commercial sector, it accounts for 7% to 20% of electricity use.

Energy efficiency and office equipment

The electricity that powers office equipment is a direct cost to your business. There are indirect costs, too. Waste heat from office equipment increases air conditioning energy consumption typically by 10% to 25%, and increases peak energy demand.

A desktop computer used eight hours a day generates over 600 kilograms of greenhouse gases each year. Desktop computers generally draw about 40 to 50 watts when in use, while monitors draw around 50 to 100 watts (with lower values becoming more common). Laptop computers are much more energy-efficient – typically 15 to 25 watts when operating. By selecting an efficient laptop and operating it efficiently, you can significantly reduce your energy use.

Photocopiers can be energy hungry. They eat up a lot of energy to keep internal surfaces hot so that the toner can correctly fuse to the paper. In fact, keeping the operating components of your photocopier warm or ‘on standby’ uses from 15 to 400 watts of electricity. This generates a kilogram of greenhouse gas every 2.5 to 65 hours.

Turn off your PC monitor can save

A typical 17-inch PC Monitor is rated at 100 to 150 watts. The monitor draws this power whenever it is on and displaying any text or picture (this includes a screen saver or a log on message). The following graph shows the savings achieved by turning off PC monitors for an extra 14 hours per day on weekdays (i.e. after hours) and on weekends. Whilst a single monitor saving is not high, the full saving over many monitors really adds up.

Recent studies in offices and education facilities in particular have revealed potential savings of up to several thousand dollars a year, simply from turning monitors off after hours.

The calculations for the following graph are based on the gazetted R1 and S1 tariffs in the Electricity and Corporations (Charges) By-laws 1996. 

Figure 1: Savings from turning off PC monitors after hours (based on a 100 watt monitor) 

The R1 Tariff shows higher savings due to the higher off peak rate associated with this tariff. It should be noted that the savings achieved from lower air conditioning requirements are not included in the above graph. 

Summary

Note: Whilst care has been taken in the preparation of this material, it is intended to provide a general idea about what can be achieved in a particular situation. Quantitative indicators may vary with time and changing circumstances. Each situation is different, requiring its own evaluation; and therefore the results given above should not be taken as being directly transferable to other circumstances. Names and addresses have been withheld for privacy reasons.

Office equipment tips

Turn equipment off

Naturally, the longer you leave equipment on, the more power it consumes. So if you’re not going to be using equipment for a reasonable period of time, turn it off. Office equipment is also a significant source of heat, so by switching off, you reduce the heat load and consequently, the amount of cooling energy needed.

What’s more, switching off office equipment when not in use can lengthen the life of your equipment. Hard disk failure is linked to the total number of hours of operation, and monitor brightness declines as operating hours increase, so switching off extends the life of your computer equipment. And remember – screensavers do not save energy.

Purchase efficient equipment

Enabling ENERGY STAR is a no-cost measure that reduces your annual power costs. ENERGY STAR compliant equipment has an enabled power-saving 'sleep' mode. Plus, ENERGY STAR-compliant office equipment is also more energy-efficient when active, with subsequent lower running costs.

Schedule copying in batches

Photocopying on an ad-hoc basis means equipment is left on most of the time. So try scheduling copying in batches. That way you can leave the equipment switched off much of the time and reduce the amount of electricity your business uses.

Only print colour when essential 

Typically colour printers use more energy than black and white printers. Minimising the number of colour copies you make will reduce your energy costs and get more life out of your colour cartridges.

Use laptops where possible

Laptop computers are far more energy-efficient than a desktop computer and monitor. In fact they are typically around 50% more efficient in operational mode. By selecting an efficient laptop and operating it efficiently you can reduce your energy use by 98% to 99%.

Keep monitor size to a minimum and use an LCD monitor 

Although new equipment is generally becoming more energy-efficient, increases in other parameters such as screen size are outstripping these efficiency improvements. For example, a typical 17 inch monitor consumes 40% to 80 % more energy than a standard 15 inch model. LCD monitors are much more efficient that the older CRT type.

Further information

Find out how to reduce your energy costs, by contacting Synergy's Energy Consultants. Just email us at  energyreview@synergyenergy.com.au or call 1300 859 333.

For more information on energy efficiency in your business visit the Sustainable Energy Development Office at http://www1.sedo.energy.wa.gov.au