All News Releases By Date

New Specification for Imaging Products - More Efficient, Same Features

Release Date: 10/08/2008
Contact Information: Enesta Jones, (202) 564-4355 / jones.enesta@epa.gov

(10/8/08) A revised specification for Energy Star qualified imaging equipment becomes effective July 1, 2009. Imaging products - printers, copiers, scanners, fax machines, and all-in-one devices - that have earned the Energy Star will be 14 percent more efficient than current qualified models, while continuing to deliver the features and functionality consumers have come to expect.

If all imaging products sold in the United States met the new specification, consumers would save nearly $500 million a year in energy costs and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of more than 500,000 cars. There are more than 200 million imaging equipment units in U.S. buildings today. Together, these units consume 40 billion kWh each year, accounting for two percent of U.S. building sector electricity consumption.

The Energy Star label has a proven track record advancing the market for energy efficient imaging equipment. The market share for products qualified under the current specification has risen dramatically since it was established in 2006 when only about 25 percent of models were efficient enough to meet it.

Energy Star was introduced by EPA in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Today, the Energy Star label can be found on more than 50 different kinds of products, new homes as well as schools and commercial buildings. Products that have earned the Energy Star prevent greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy-efficiency specifications set by the government. In 2007 alone, Americans, with the help of Energy Star, saved more than $16 billion on their utility bills while reducing the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 27 million vehicles.

For more information on Energy Star qualified imaging products: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=revisions.img_equip_spec