(credit: Flickr / State Farm)
On Wednesday California’s Energy Commission (CEC) announced that it would adopt new energy efficiency rules for computers and monitors sold in the state, requiring computers to sip less power when they’re not being used and requiring monitors to be built using high-efficiency screen technology.
In all, the CEC estimates that Californians will save an average of 2,332 GWh per year (PDF) after these new rules are fully implemented in 2019. But the rules could have a much wider impact on the US. California is a massive market for technology, with an estimated 25 million computer monitors, 21 million desktop computers, and 23 million notebooks currently being used in the state. In many cases, a manufacturer will find it more economical to meet California’s standards for all products it sells in the US than to create an energy efficient version of its products for California and an less-energy-efficient version of its products for the rest of the US.
According to the CEC, the standards for desktop computers set an “energy use target” that manufacturers must meet depending on what technology can be found in the unit. “The targets center on the performance in idle, sleep and off modes and do not set a limit for active mode,” the CEC writes. A first tier of the standards for computers must be met by January 1, 2019, and then a second, more stringent version of the standards must be met by July 1, 2021. The energy commission estimates that these new standards will add $10 to the cost of desktop computers on average, but will save the owner $40 in electricity bills over five years.
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