Product Purchasing and Computer Power Management for Federal Agencies
Federal agencies are required to purchase energy-efficient products and activate power management settings on their computers by the following two federal initiatives:
- The Energy Policy Act of 2005 requires federal agencies to buy either ENERGY STAR products or products designated as energy efficient by the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP). These requirements are included in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 23.203 . In March 2009, the Department of Energy published a Final Rule to provide guidance to Federal agencies implementing EPAct, Section 104: “Federal Procurement of Energy Efficient Products.”
- Executive Order 13423 requires federal agencies to activate ENERGY STAR “sleep” features on computers and monitors and mandates that federal agencies buy EPEAT* registered products. In March 2007, the Council on Environmental Quality issued instructions defining agency requirements for implementing Executive Order 13423 and broad strategies for achieving them.
- Executive Order 13514 sets sustainability goals for Federal agencies and requires Federal agencies to establish a 2020 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target within 90 days. In terms of energy efficiency, agencies must:
- Ensure that 95 percent of new contracts include products that are energy-efficient (ENERGY STAR qualified or Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) designated) and environmentally preferable (e.g., Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) certified).
- Promote electronics stewardship by ensuring: 1) procurement preference for EPEAT-registered electronic products; 2) enablement of computer power management; 3) activation of duplex printing functions, and; 4) procurement of ENERGY STAR qualified and FEMP designated electronic equipment.
This page is designed to assist you in fulfilling these requirements. To comply, federal agencies should:
Purchase EPEAT Registered Computers and Monitors
All EPEAT-registered products are, by definition, ENERGY STAR qualified. Visit www.epeat.net for registered product lists and additional product requirements. Follow the links below to view ENERGY STAR efficiency specifications, qualified product lists, and savings estimates:
- Computers and Notebooks: New ENERGY STAR Version 5.0 efficiency specifications, effective July 2009, lower power consumption requirements. Qualified desktops save roughly $15 in electricity annually.**
- Monitors: The energy-consumption of an average LCD display is two-thirds of that for an average CRT.
Purchase ENERGY STAR Qualified Products
Activate Power Management Features on Computers and Monitors
Learn how computer power management, or “sleep” features can save your organization as much as $75 per system annually. Instructions, software, savings calculators, and other resources are available at the ENERGY STAR power management website.
Purchase FEMP-Designated Energy-Efficient Products
The Department of Energy’s Federal Energy Management Program provides purchasing specifications for energy-efficient products not covered by ENERGY STAR specifications. For information, please visit the FEMP Energy-Efficient products web site. To purchase FEMP-Designated Energy-Efficient Products on GSA Advantage, please see their Environmental Aisle .