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Computer Key Product Criteria

Equipment Specification
Computers
  • Use energy efficient power supply.
  • Operate efficiently in Standby/Off, Sleep, and Idle modes.
  • Include and enable power management features of the system and provide user education about these features.

You Should Know...

General: By leaving the machine on around the clock, you run up your electric bill, you suck in dust and you make yourself more vulnerable to power surges.

An ENERGY STAR label is not a guarantee that your machine is saving energy. Always check to ensure that the ENERGY STAR features are enabled.

Computers: A well-designed ENERGY STAR qualified computer will not lose its network connection, which could lead to a loss of data, while in the low-power or sleep mode. Additionally, ENERGY STAR qualified computers with networking capabilities have the ability to enable and disable Wake On LAN for Sleep mode, allowing greater use of low power modes without a loss of IT system maintenance capabilities.

Monitors: Switching on and off the monitor five times or more a day increases the frequency of faults in power transistors in the control and deflection parts only after the machine has been used 20 to 30 years.

Screen Savers: Despite common belief, a screen saver does not save energy. In fact, more often than not, a screen saver will not only draw power for the monitor but will also keep the CPU from shutting down.

Games: Many popular computer games, when running in the background while multitasking, will not allow the computer to go to sleep-even if the game is paused.

Key Product Criteria for ENERGY STAR Qualified Computers

Tier 1 Energy Efficiency Requirements: Effective July 20, 2007
Product Type Tier 1 Requirements
Desktops, Integrated Computers, Desktop-Derived Servers and Gaming Consoles

Standby (Off Mode): <= 2.0 W

Sleep Mode: <= 4.0 W

Idle State*:

  • Category A: <= 50.0 W
  • Category B: <= 65.0 W
  • Category C: <= 95.0 W

Note: Desktop-derived servers (as defined in section 1. F) are exempt from the Sleep level above.
Notebooks and Tablets

Standby (Off Mode): <= 1.0 W

Sleep Mode: <= 1.7 W

Idle State*:

  • Category A: <= 14.0 W
  • Category B: <= 22.0 W
Workstations

TEC Power (PTEC): <= 0.35 * [PMax + (# HDDs * 5)] W

Note: Where Pmax is the maximum power drawn by the system as tested per the test procedure in Section 4 of Appendix A, and #HDD is the number of installed hard drives in the system.
*For a description of Categories for Idle Criteria, please refer to the Version 4.0 ENERGY STAR Computers Eligibility Criteria PDF
Tier 1 Power Supply and Power Management Requirements: Effective July 20, 2007
Efficient power supply requirements
  • Internal power supplies: 80% minimum efficiency at 20%, 50%, and 100% of rated output and minimum Power Factor 0.9
    OR
  • External power supplies: either ENERGY STAR qualified or meet the no-load and active mode efficiency levels provided in the ENERGY STAR External Power Supply (EPS) specification
Power Management
  • Monitor Sleep Mode: within 15 minutes of user inactivity
  • System Sleep Mode: within 30 minutes of user inactivity

Key Product Criteria for ENERGY STAR Qualified Monitors
(effective January 1, 2005)

On Mode Sleep Mode Off Mode
Tier 1 Maximum Allowable Power Consumption:
Effective January 1, 2005 		Y = 38X + 30.
Y is expressed in watts and rounded up to the nearest whole number and X is the number of megapixels in decimal form 		<= 4 watts <= 2 watts
Tier 2 Maximum Allowable Power Consumption:
Effective January 1, 2006 		If X < 1 megapixel, then Y = 23; if X > 1 megapixel, then Y = 28X.
Y is expressed in watts and rounded up to the nearest whole number and X is the number of megapixels in decimal form 		<= 2 watts <= 1 watt

Monitor: A commercially-available, electronic product with a display screen and its associated electronics encased in a single housing that is capable of displaying output information from a computer via one or more inputs, such as VGA, DVI, and/or IEEE 1394. The monitor usually relies upon a cathode-ray tube (CRT), liquid crystal display (LCD), or other display device.

Monitor’s On Mode: The product is connected to a power source and produces an image. The power requirement in this mode is typically greater than the power requirement in Sleep and Off Modes.

Monitor’s Sleep Mode: The reduced power state that the computer monitor enters after receiving instructions from a computer or via other functions. A blank screen and reduction in power consumption characterize this mode. The computer monitor returns to On Mode with full operational capability upon sensing a request from a user/computer (e.g., user moves the mouse or presses a key on the keyboard).

Monitor’s Off Mode: The lowest power consumption mode which cannot be switched off (influenced) by the user and that may persist for an indefinite time when a computer monitor is connected to the main electricity supply and used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. For purposes of this specification, Off Mode is defined as the power state when the product is connected to a power source, produces no images, and is waiting to be switched to On Mode by a direct signal from a user/computer (e.g., user pushes power switch).