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In order to achieve an Energy Star certification, monitors must meet the following criteria:

• In On mode, the maximum allowed power varies based on the computer monitor’s
resolution.
• In Sleep mode, computer monitor models must consume 2 watts or less.
• In Off mode, computer monitor models must consume 1 watt or less.

The exact specifications for Energy Star’s tiering measurements are listed in Table 8-3.
To find out whether a monitor you are considering is Energy Star certified, you can visit
the vendor’s website. Or, you can search products via Link 8-6.
Your business will save money by using Energy Star–certified monitors. Consider the
following issues:

• Electricity usage cut in half You’ll save US$25 to US$75 per PC each year.
• Cooling loads reduced You’ll also save US$5 to US$10 per PC per year in office
cooling costs. That number increases to US$10 to US$25 in warm climates.
• Reduction in peak load demand charges If your utility charges extra during peak
demand times, this amount is lessened.
• Faster boot times Waiting for computers to boot is eliminated. Because the
computers are already technically “on,” you don’t have to wait for them to boot up.
They simply need to awaken from low-power mode, which is much faster than
a bootup.

NOTE Of course, there are some costs associated with adopting Energy Star settings. However,
these costs are minor compared to your overall savings. You may incur costs when computers are
being updated if they are asleep. That is, they may not get the automatic updates, so staff will
have to attempt to reinstall the updates. However, open-source and commercial software packages
are available that can help manage sleep modes.

On Mode Sleep Mode Off Mode
Tier 1 maximum allowable Y = 38X + 30
power consumption (Y is expressed in watts and rounded
(effective January 1, 2005) up to the nearest whole number, and <= 4 watts <= 2 watts
X is the number of megapixels in
decimal form.)
Tier 2 maximum allowable If X < 1 megapixel, then Y = 23
power consumption If X > 1 megapixel, then Y = 28X
(effective January 1, 2006) (Y is expressed in watts and rounded
up to the nearest whole number, and <= 2 watts <= 1 watt
X is the number of megapixels in
decimal form.)

TABLE 8-3 Energy Star Power Tiers