Winter 2007 ENERGY STAR News

• Annual Report Released: Americans Increasingly Benefiting from ENERGY STAR
• EPA Finalizes New ENERGY STAR Computer Specification
• EPA and European Union Renew Agreement on International Energy Efficiency
• NADA and ENERGY STAR — Driving Energy Savings at America’s Dealerships
• Which Buildings are the Next ENERGY STARs?

Annual Report Released: Americans Increasingly Benefiting from ENERGY STAR

EPA recently released its annual report summarizing the success of ENERGY STAR and other voluntary climate protection programs. The report summarizes the accomplishments of these programs for 2005. For example, Americans, with the help of the ENERGY STAR, avoided greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 23 million automobiles — up from 20 million in 2004 — while saving $12 billion on their energy bills. Other highlights of the report include:

• The ENERGY STAR label is now recognized by more than 60 percent of the American public and has become the trusted national symbol for energy efficiency.
• More than 2 billion ENERGY STAR qualified products have been purchased since 1992.
• About 1,500 manufacturers use the ENERGY STAR to label and differentiate more than 35,000 individual product models, many of which carry the brands that today's consumers prefer.
• More than 800 retail partners bring ENERGY STAR qualifying products and educational information to their customers, representing more than a 45-percent increase over 2004.
• About 26,000 buildings have been rated for energy performance, and more than 2,500 buildings across the nation have earned the ENERGY STAR label for superior energy performance.
• More than 30 states and more than 450 utilities and other energy efficiency program sponsors leverage ENERGY STAR to improve the efficiency of government buildings and of their customers.

Click here (3.5MB) for more information or to download the most recent ENERGY STAR annual report.

EPA Finalizes New ENERGY STAR Computer Specification

EPA has finalized the new ENERGY STAR specification for desktop and laptop computers, game consoles, integrated computer systems, desktop-derived servers, and tablet PCs. This new specification will take effect in July and is projected to prevent greenhouse gas emissions equal to the annual emissions of 2.7 million cars.

While the previous ENERGY STAR specification for computers focused on low power modes and power management features, EPA has changed the specification to ensure that ENERGY STAR qualified computers are also using less energy during their normal, idle state.

ENERGY STAR qualified computers must also meet stringent requirements for their internal and external power supplies under the new specification. A computer’s internal power supply must have an 80 percent minimum efficiency at 20, 50, and 100 percent of rated output, and the external power supply must be ENERGY STAR qualified or meet the no-load and active mode efficiency levels outlined in the ENERGY STAR specification for external power supplies.

EPA is also investigating potential energy savings for servers and data centers and will be conducting further research in 2007 for developing a specification.

Click here for more information on ENERGY STAR qualified computers.

EPA and European Union Renew Agreement on International Energy Efficiency

The United States and the countries of the European Community recently renewed their agreement to use the ENERGY STAR label on energy-efficient office equipment.

Specifically, the agreement calls for the use of ENERGY STAR labeling on office equipment in European markets and that the United States imports, including computers, monitors, printers, copiers, fax machines, and scanners, with other products possibly added in the future.

Combined, these new specifications will save American households more than $4 billion over the next 5 years and avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the emissions of more than 6 million cars, with additional energy and environmental benefits possible in the European Union. The renewal of this agreement also lends even greater authority to other nations’ efforts to stimulate the market for energy efficient products.

The United States and the European Community first signed the agreement in 2000.

For more information on ENERGY STAR and the European Union, visit www.eu-energystar.org .

NADA and ENERGY STAR — Driving Energy Savings at America's Dealerships

The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) and ENERGY STAR have teamed up to reduce energy use at 20,000 member dealership facilities by 10 percent or more. Automobile dealerships are energy intensive operations that require high-quality lighting, both indoors and outdoors, and first-rate climate control.

By cutting energy costs by 20 percent, America’s auto dealers could save $4 billion and prevent 5 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually.

Click here, or visit www.nada.org for more information about this exciting partnership, launched on January 23, 2007, at the Washington Auto Show.

Which Buildings are the Next ENERGY STARs?

In February, EPA announced the 2006 list of buildings that have earned the prestigious ENERGY STAR. The superior energy performance of these buildings places them in the top 25 percent of office buildings, hotels, hospitals, grocery stores, and schools nationwide.

Click here for more information on ENERGY STAR for Buildings and to download the 2006 list.