California nears adoption of energy-saving rules for computers
California nears adoption of energy-saving rules for
computers
By Steve Gorman September 9, 2016
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California regulators moved a
step closer on Friday to the first mandatory U.S. energy efficiency standards
for computers and monitors, gadgets that account for 3 percent of home electric
bills and 7 percent of commercial power costs in the state.
The latest draft standards issued by the California
Energy Commission, marking the second revision of rules first proposed in March
2015, would save consumers an estimated $373 million annually when fully
implemented, the agency said.
The projected energy savings under the plan are
equivalent to the electricity used annually by all the homes in San Francisco,
according to the commission.
The Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental
group working with the commission on the standards, said they would cut
greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel combustion in power generation by
700,000 tons a year.
But the NRDC urged the commission to avoid loopholes such
as allowing special exemptions or credits for premium computer features that
could become more mainstream by the time the standards go into effect.
In California, computers and monitors draw an estimated
5,610 gigawatt-hours of electricity - roughly 3 percent of residential
electrical use and 7 percent of commercial use - much of that while devices sit
idle.
According to the NRDC, the total amount of power consumed
by computers and monitors would be reduced by about a third once there is a
complete turnover in existing stocks of devices.
The first phase of the rules would take effect in January
2019 for desktop and notebook computers. The standards would kick in for
workstations and small-scale servers in January 2018 and for computer monitors
- covering screens 17 inches and larger - in July 2019.
The standards for desktops, which use far more energy
than notebooks, will add about $14 to the retail cost of computers but save
consumers more than $40 in electric bills over five years, according to
commission estimates.
California, which often leads the way in U.S.
environmental initiatives, already boasts the lowest per-capita rate of
electricity use in America. The latest rules could set a new standard for
computer manufacturers everywhere by virtue of California's size as a consumer
market.
If the standards are adopted nationwide, they could save
U.S. consumers about $2.2 billion annually in electric bills while reducing
energy generation by the equivalent output of seven coal-fired power plants,
the NRDC said.
Final adoption of the California standards by the
five-member Energy Commission could come as early as November.
(Reporting by Steve Gorman; Editing by Tom Brown)
Comments
Post a Comment