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This week I have been looking at the EU Energy Star Programme’s specifications for computers. The Energy Star Programme identifies energy efficient computers and office equipment.

Le Monde Apple en direct, Strasbourg

The most recent specifications for computers came into effect on 1 July 2009. The specifications set out the requirements that a computer needs to meet to use the Energy Star label. The most recent specifications for computers are set out in Commission Decision 2009/489/EC.

Here is a summary of the requirements for desktop computers (such as Mac Pros), integrated desktop computers (combined computer and monitor, such as iMacs), and notebook computers (such as MacBooks). The specifications go into a lot of detail for different computer set ups and capabilities. This is a broad overview of the numbers.

Desktop and integrated desktop computers must have a typical energy consumption of 138 – 204 kWh per year or less. This is based on the computer spending 55% of time off, 5% of time in sleep mode, and 40% of time idle.

Notebook computers must have a typical energy consumption of 40 – 88.5 kWh per year or less. This is based on the computer spending 60% of time off, 10% of time in sleep mode, and 30% of time idle.

The energy consumption requirements appear to be baseline figures. They do not take into account any active use of the computers.

In addition to meeting the energy consumption requirements, computers must also have power management enabled. The display must sleep after 15 minutes of user inactivity, and the computer must sleep after 30 minutes of user inactivity.

After publishing my post about European Union (EU) policy on stand by power consumption last week, I discovered that the EU directive it was based on had been replaced. This left me wondering whether the regulation on stand by power consumption was still applicable.

Strasbourg from above

Last week, I learnt that the EU sets limits on the amount of power equipment can use when it is in stand by mode and off mode. These limits were introduced through Regulation 1275/2008. This regulation was implemented under Directive 2005/32/EC.

I have since learnt that Directive 2005/32/EC has been repealed, and replaced by Directive 2009/125/EC. Both of these directives aim to reduce the energy consumption and environmental impact of a range of products. The new directive expands the scope of the old directive to include a wider range of products.

The regulation on stand by power consumption was based on the old directive. But, the old directive has been replaced. Is the original regulation still in force?

After much searching, I have not been able to find a definitive answer. But, here are my thoughts.

Directive 2009/125/EC states that references to the repealed directive will be construed as references to the new directive. This suggests to me that the regulation on stand by power consumption will continue, but now refer to the new directive instead the old one.

On a practical note, the new directive aims to achieve the same goals as the old directive, but covers a wider range of products. The regulations implemented under the old directive go some way to achieving those goals for specific groups of products. It seems counterproductive for the new directive to undo those regulations.

Is Regulation 1275/2008 on stand by power consumption still effective under the new directive? I’m not sure, but if I had to guess, I would say yes.

My exploration of European Union (EU) policy on computer energy consumption got off to a disappointing start last week. This week, I have discovered the EU Ecodesign concept, and have delved into the regulations relating to stand by power consumption for electrical items.

Building detail, Strasbourg

Last week, I set out to learn what EU policies were in place on computer energy consumption. I was disappointed when all I found was the EU Energy Star programme.

This week, I decided to escape the confines of the Europa pages, and see what Google could turn up for me. I ultimately ended up back on the Europa web site, but with far more interesting results.

I discovered the EU Ecodesign concept. Ecodesign seems to be a name the EU has applied to a collection of initiatives and legislation that aim to reduce the energy consumption and environmental impact of a range of products.

The overall framework for the Ecodesign principles was established by EU Directive 2005/32/EC. While the directive provides a foundation for Ecodesign, the details of how Ecodesign applies to specific products are contained in separate regulations.

I decided to look at Regulation 1275/2008 which sets out the requirements for stand by mode and off mode of household electrical and electronic equipment. The list of equipment it applies to covers most of the things you have plugged in to power sockets in your home, including computers.

The regulation sets limits for the energy consumed by equipment when it is in stand by mode and off mode. As far as I can tell, the limits apply to equipment that is sold in the EU. The requirements will be phased in over 4 years, starting in December 2008.

Here is a summary of the requirements.

1 year after the regulation is in force (December 2009):

• Power consumption in off mode must be 1 Watt or less;
• Power consumption in stand by mode which allows reactivation must be 1 Watt or less;
• Power consumption in stand by mode which allows reactivation and displays information (such as a clock) must be 2 Watts or less.

4 years after the regulation is in force (December 2012):

• Power consumption in off mode must be 0.5 Watts or less;
• Power consumption in stand by mode which allows reactivation must be 0.5 Watts or less;
• Power consumption in stand by mode which allows reactivation and displays information (such as a clock) must be 1 Watt or less.

The regulation also provides that equipment that is connected to mains power must have a stand by or off mode, and must also have a power management function which automatically switches the device into stand by mode or off mode when it is not being actively used.

I have spent the last two weeks learning about the European Union (EU), and how EU policy is developed. This week I wanted to have a look at some specific EU policy. I decided to see if there was any EU policy on computer energy consumption.

Houses by the river, Strasbourg

I started on the Europa Policy Areas page, and went to the Energy section. The overview on the Energy Policy page suggests that EU energy policy primarily focuses on where energy comes from. Energy efficiency is mentioned, but seems to be a smaller area of the overall EU energy policy.

Under the Legislation tab, I found a link about Energy Efficiency, and from there a link to Energy Efficiency of Office Equipment. This took me to a page about the Energy Star programme.

You have probably seen the Energy Star stickers around. From a user’s perspective, Energy Star is a labelling programme. If office equipment meets certain specifications for energy use, they can display the Energy Star label.

I followed the link to the EU Energy Star page for more information. I had a look around, but did not come away with much. The content felt mostly like marketing, with some notable statistics thrown in.

Here are a few facts from the Consumers page and the Statistics page:

• The annual energy usage for a new home computer and printer can range from 40kWh-400kWh.
• An energy efficient computer and printer can save 150-200 Euros in electricity costs over its lifetime (5-6 years).
• Home office equipment accounts for approximately 9% of the average household electricity bill.
• Office equipment accounts for approximately 11% of electricity usage in the tertiary sector.

I am not quite sure what the tertiary sector is. The statistics are separated into residential, tertiary, and industry. So, I think the tertiary sector means office-based businesses.

I get the impression that there must be more to EU policy on computer energy consumption than the Energy Star programme. I went back to the Europa Energy Efficiency page to see if there were any other links that looked promising, but none stood out. Perhaps it is tucked away in another area of the broader EU energy policy.