Computers and Energy Efficiency in Australia

Downloading the PDF Version

The full document is available as a PDF file. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to view it. The Adobe Reader is a free product.

Download Computers and Energy Efficiency in Australia (3 MB)

If you are unable to access this document, please contact the The Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts to organise a suitable alternative format.

Summary

The Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA) commissioned testing of desktop and notebook personal computers, bought on the open market, as part of the Equipment Energy Efficiency (E3) program to understand the energy use and energy efficiency of appliances and equipment sold in Australia.

Computer equipment ownership is still growing in Australia on top of an estimated stock of more than 20 million computers already in homes and work places across the country. As a result, the energy consumption of computers and associated monitors is becoming more important to the economy as a whole. Present estimates are that computers already consume more energy than some other classes of regulated appliances, such as clothes washing machines and dishwashers.

For the purposes of this study a total of 56 desktop and notebook computers were tested by three NATA accredited testing facilities in Melbourne and Sydney. The tests were carried out using the US Environmental Protection Agency ENERGY STAR (E*) V4.0 methodology, which was introduced in the USA from July 2007. E* has become the de-facto international standard because of its widespread use, and because it is the only test methodology used as a mandatory qualifier, of compliance with performance requirements of the US Government.

This page last modified 02 September 2009