Australian energy efficiency standards for personal computers and monitors

The Australian Greenhouse Office (AGO) is looking at energy efficiency standards in Australia and NZ, for personal computers and monitors, similar to those on other consumer products. A Steering Committee of stakeholders is being formed. I have been nominated by the ACS. Other organizations interested may want to contact the Equipment Energy Efficiency Team at AGO.

What is planned is detailed in the six page "Computers And Monitors The Case For Minimum Energy Performance Standards":

The Australian and New Zealand Regulatory Plan

In October 2004, energy efficiency regulators announced plans to consider mandatory energy performance standards for computers and monitors. The intention to push efficiency through regulatory means was reiterated at the 2006 Standby Conference. This fact sheet launches the consultation process for regulating computers and monitors in Australia and New Zealand and will be supported by a more detailed technical case.

Australian and New Zealand energy efficiency regulators are proposing to recommend basing regulatory energy performance and labelling schemes upon the US Energy Star specifications – specifically the existing Computers Version 4.0 and Monitors Version 4.1 as these specifications are essentially the defacto global test and performance standards.

Australian and New Zealand energy efficiency regulators are proposing to recommend mandating energy performance standards from not earlier than October 2009, or more than 3 years after they were first adopted as Energy Star levels.

The Australian Government will also develop a strategy for computers covering the next 10 years that will include:

• An initial focus on desktop computers, laptops and computer monitors.
• The use of measures to cover all modes of operation: potentially ranging through off, passive standby, active standby and on, as technology and testing becomes available.
• Further measures for workstations and servers at a later stage.
• Research on the energy implications of networked homes.
• Data centre energy performance – direct energy consumption and air-conditioning energy consumption.

The Australian Government is proposing to advocate international adoption of standards based upon the Energy Star computer and monitor specifications.

The steering committee work has been outlined:

STEERING COMMITTEE OPERATING PARAMETERS
The steering committee members will operate as an advisory committee to government agencies involved in energy efficiency.

Members will:

1. Comment upon the consultants’ proposals for government regulatory agencies. This advice will be considered by the consultants and government agency staff in an effort to improve the accuracy and content of published papers.
2. Participate on the basis of not binding their employers to the outcome of the regulatory process while retain their own capacity to not support publicly the outcomes of the steering committee process
3. Meet their own costs of participation though every effort will be made to minimize meetings (through email and virtual meetings or convening meetings adjacent to existing industry events)
4. Provide information or comments on errors or inconsistencies within a series of reports to be developed over the next 12 months, specifically:
   1. Technical Report
   2. Cost Benefit Analysis and
   3. Regulatory Impact Statement;
5. Work with consultants engaged to prepare these reports, the first of which will be drafted by Richard Collins (Punchline Energy) ...
   
6. The benefits for you personally in participating in the steering committee process might include:
   • Being able to provide your organisation with accurate and early advice on the proposed regulatory proposals
   • Being able to influence the direction of those regulatory proposals beyond the usual consultation processes required of such regulatory proposals
   • Being able to decide that your or your employer will or will not support the eventual proposals proposed by government agencies after participating in the steering committee process. ...
     

From: Steering Committee for Computers and Monitors, Equipment Energy Efficiency Team, Australian Greenhouse Office , 5 September 2007