energy star
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Save a few bucks by turning your Mac off or letting it sleep
When it comes to saving energy, I think I do pretty well. My wife and I both drive high-MPG vehicles, we keep our thermostat at a relatively chilly 62°F during the daytime hours in winter, and we don't have air conditioning in our home. We shut off lights when they're not needed, and all of our appliances are Energy Star certified. But one thing I usually don't do is shut my late 2012 27-inch iMac off at night or let it go into sleep mode. While doing a self-audit of energy usage in preparation for a possible installation of photovoltaic solar panels at our house, I thought it would be useful to determine whether or not turning my big-screen iMac off when I'm not using it would save a lot of energy and money. The short answer? It doesn't save enough to make it worthwhile, although if you're out to save the world, turning your Mac off or letting it drift off into sleep mode can ease your conscience. To give you an idea of my current weekday usage, I work about 8 hours per day with the iMac display blasting away, and the other 16 hours of the day the iMac is usually in "idle mode" with the display off. That's not sleep mode -- basically I just have my display set to shut off after 15 minutes of non-use, and the device never sleeps. Why? Well, I have processes that go off at odd times of the night, and I sometimes like to use Parallels Access to control my iMac from my iPad. On weekends, I try to stay away from the iMac as much as possible, so I'd say I average about 2 hours of use per day with 22 hours per day in idle mode with the display turned off. Determining the energy usage of your Apple device is actually quite simple. Go to Apple's Environmental Responsibility Report page, and you can see the energy diet of every Apple hardware product made back to 2008. Going to the 2012 list, I found that the 27-inch iMac uses 79.8 W of power when it's actively in use, 20.6 W when it's in that "idle mode with display off", 1.03 watts when in sleep mode and .22 W when turned off. Some quick calculations (hours of usage x power usage in Watts / 1000 = energy usage in kWh) showed my total annual energy usage for the iMac to be about 315.4 kWh (kilowatt-hours). Looking at my electrical usage and cost for the past year courtesy of my local electric and gas utility, I was able to determine that I'm being charged about $0.11 per kWh. That iMac that I use for the majority of my work costs me about $34.69 a year to operate. My next calculation was to determine how much energy I'd use if I set the Energy Saver system preference to shut the device down for 9 hours every day when I know I'm not going to use the iMac. In that mode, the iMac would use about 248.7 kWh of energy, or about $27.36 per year. That means that shutting that machine off at night would save about $7.33 per year -- and I waste more than that sometimes in a single app purchase! My last calculation determined how much I'd save if I just set the iMac to sleep when I'm not using it, so basically it's running for about 8 hours and sleeping for 16 hours on weekdays, or running for 2 hours and sleeping for 22 on weekends. In that situation, the iMac uses about 185.1 kWh every year and my annual savings would be about $14.33. Still, that's not all that great. My reticence towards using sleep mode on this computer was based on past experiences where "waking up" just took too damned long, but this iMac jumps back from sleep mode very quickly. While that monetary savings of $14.33 might not be huge, every little kilowatt-hour I can save is indeed money in my pocket. Just think -- I might be able to buy two Starbucks beverages or almost pay for a Lightning to USB cable from the local Apple Store. How about you, readers? Do you shut 'em down every night, let them sleep, or just have the display go dark when you're not using your favorite Mac? Let us know in the comments.
Light up Greenwave Reality's smart bulbs with your iPhone
Here's how it goes: I say, "It feels like we're living in the future," and you all yell, "So where are the jetpacks?" There are plenty of missing pieces from the Jetsons-style view of the future, but at least the smart home -- controllable, reactive, energy-efficient and easy to use -- is on its way. One of the companies trying to push that vision forward is lighting vendor Greenwave Reality [their site is a little overwhelmed right now]. Founded by veterans of Cisco's consumer networking business, Greenwave has spent the past few years developing products intended for distribution by European utilities, and it's now rolling out its Connected Lighting Solution for homeowners in the EU with certification for the US market as well. With the Greenwave kit -- not sold directly, but through distribution and utility partners -- and your iPhone or iPad, it will be simple to set up a custom lighting environment with up to 500 devices. Rather than controlling lighting at the switch or outlet level, the CLS actually takes the network smarts all the way down to the bulb. The LED diffuse bulbs fit standard sockets and (like CFL and other efficient bulbs) deliver the equivalent light of incandescents with a fraction of the power consumption. Unlike conventional bulbs, however, each of these sports a chipset from Dutch semiconductor giant NXP, known for making near-field communications (NFC) modules for cellphones and tablets. The NXP module wirelessly connects to other bulbs and to a remote control via a JenNet-IP mesh, an ultra-low-power IPv6 wireless network. Disconnecting a bulb makes no difference to the overall health of the mesh; the remaining bulbs autoconfigure and keep talking. The wireless chipset sips a tiny amount of power, so it doesn't impair the energy efficiency of the bulbs (the product is now Energy Star certified for the US market). The heart of the JenNet mesh is the Greenwave wireless controller, which connects to your home network to bridge your WiFi to the lighting WLAN and provide anywhere, anytime access to your lights. As soon as a bulb is powered on for the first time, it begins to dim up and down to indicate that it's ready for setup. You can use the iOS app to control the light individually, or bind it with other bulbs in a fixture. Turn on a whole room or just one lamp; it's simple with either the app or the hard remote. The app works in your house or anywhere in the world, letting you turn on and off lights when you're on the road. Of course, you can still use your conventional light switches in a pinch; flick off and back on two times to override the soft controls. With custom dimming timers and sunrise/sunset awareness, the automation possibilities of the CLS are impressive -- create a preset for early mornings, late romantic lights or whatever look you like. You can even take pictures of your lighting fixtures to customize the iOS app controls if you want. When combined with the company's Smart Home Platform, the automation opportunities extend beyond lighting to climate controls, security, appliances and more. Greenwave's technology has received enthusiastic support from the IPSO Alliance, the trade group working to deliver "the Internet of Things" for networked device awareness. Sounds great, so when and where can you buy it? The company's iOS app is in the App Store now, but as for the hardware, you're somewhat at the mercy of distribution partners at utilities that buy into Greenwave's approach. CEO Greg Memo describes Greenwave as "the brand behind the brand" for connected home lighting, so you're most likely to see "powered by Greenwave Reality" somewhere on the package rather than on its own. Exact prices will vary by region and provider, but with Energy Star rebates and other incentives the company expects bulbs to be available for around US$20 or less; a four-bulb kit with remote and wireless controller (one-time purchases) will come in at or under US$200. That may sound steep, but the company estimates that replacing 10 bulbs with LED Greenwave bulbs (a net cost of $320 counting the controller) will save about $150 in energy costs in the first year of operation vs. incandescent bulbs... and the LED bulbs have a projected lifespan of 10 years or more. Check out the Greenwave Reality video below for more on the Connected Lighting Solution.
Energy Star 5.3 now in effect, some chunkier TVs left out in the cold
A revamped set of Energy Star requirements went into effect last week, much to the chagrin of plus-sized plasma TVs everywhere. Under the new specification (Version 5.3), sets bearing that vaunted blue sticker will have to be, on average, about 40 percent more energy efficient than standard models, while larger displays will be held to even stricter requirements. The latest iteration also calls for qualifying TVs to adhere to a "hard cap" of 108 watts (irrespective of size), essentially disqualifying any plasmas at least 50-inches in size, and any larger, non-LED-backlit LCDs. Among those sets that qualified for certification under Version 4.2, a full 14 percent consume more than 108 watts (mostly 2010 models), and only three are LED LCD-based (including Samsung's UN65D8000). Some newly disqualified 2011 models, however, may still bear blue stickers, due to Energy Star's ongoing transition process. "With the intention of seeing products that meet the newest requirements on retail shelves when 5.3 takes effect, EPA halted certification of new TVs that met the 4.2 requirements (but not the 5.3 requirements) as of May 31, 2011," Energy Star product manager Katherine Kaplan explained to CNET. "All new products certified since May 31 meet the 5.3 requirements. A product newly manufactured and certified in June had to meet the 5.3 requirements to be labeled." Hit up the source link below for more details.
HP Slate 500 with Windows 7 surfaces on HP's site
We can't say we know exactly what's going on here, but it does appear that the HP Slate still lives in all its Windows 7 (and Intel Atom) glory. Yep, the guys at IDG News spotted the good ol' 8.9-inch HP Slate -- now apparently the Slate 500 -- hanging out on a rather hidden HP.com page. The details are few and far between, but they do seem to coincide with all that we originally had heard about the tablet -- it runs Windows 7 Home Premium, has "exclusive" HP software and two cameras. And that's not all, the chaps at IDG also noticed that the Slate 500 was Energy Star certified, and a listing for the same product on Energy Star's site confirms that it will have a 1.6GHz processor. That too seems to line up with what we had heard about the Slate having a 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z530 CPU. We know, it's all a bit surreal considering we just got word yesterday that HP had filed a trademark on the term PalmPad, and we figured the Slate may have seen its day. There's no telling what will happen next, but it sure is looking like a HP Win 7 and WebOS tablet may just live in harmony.
Energy Star 4.0 goes into effect for HDTVs, puts 'em on a diet
Your next Energy Star-approved HDTV? Chances are it'll be a little greener than your last one, thanks to the new 4.0 ratings going into effect. These drastically reduce allowable consumption for displays, offering on average a 40 percent improvement in efficiency compared to 3.0 models, meaning a 50-inch set can consume, at most, 153 watts (compared to 318 in the 3.0 world). Beyond that, a display that has been turned "off" can consume no more than one solitary watt whilst waiting for your next command. All sets produced as of May 1 must meet these new regulations to earn that prestigious blue badge, and then in 2012 the 5.0 rules come into effect, dropping maximum consumption by roughly another 40 percent -- good news for those who love the planet as much as they love watching Nature on peripheral vision-filling display.
MSI Wind U250 receives Energy Star leaked status
Well, here's a bit of a surprise. Not only have the folks behind the ever-present Energy Star label revealed the existence of a previously unheard of MSI Wind U250, but they've been kind enough to provide some details on the device as well. Apparently a convertible laptop (or some other form of notebook / tablet), the U250 will pack a dual-core, 2.6GHz processor of some sort, 4GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, and a video card with 512MB of dedicated memory -- all for a list price of $600. Unfortunately, while Energy Star lists a release date of March 15th for the device (hence the appearance on its site, presumably), that has obviously come and gone without so much as a peep from MSI about this particular model.
Energy Star 3.0 regulations set to impact TV designs
If you thought there was a row over the Energy Star 3.0 requirements for TVs, you haven't seen anything yet. Research firm iSuppli rightfully calls out some challenges for even the energy-miserly LCD TVs to duck under the numbers in the draft version of the Tier 2 (effective 2010) and Tier 3 (effective 2012) versions of the standard. For example, a 50-inch TV will have do limbo underneath a 153-Watt peak for Tier 2 compliance and 108-Watts for Tier 3. We're confident that some clever engineering will allow LCD to reach those figures; the real impact might be on plasma TVs, however. It pains us to say it, but plasma's going to have a hard time making that grade; of course, that's assuming that plasma TVs are still being made and marketed towards consumers who value the Energy Star label. For those of us who want efficiency and ultimate image quality, it's time to pull for LED-backlit LCDs. Read - Energy Star TV requirements draft [Warning: PDF link] Read - iSuppli predicts change in LCD design
Dell rolls out budget, eco-minded P2210, E190S, E170S monitors
We just caught sight of one low-cost Dell monitor headed for Hong Kong a few days ago, and it looks like the company has now rolled out another three for folks over here, including the widescreen P2210 model, and the old school E190S and E170S 4:3 models. Each of those meet the usual EPEAT Gold and Energy Star requirements, and Dell also goes one step further by using halogen-free laminates and a chassis composed of 25% post-consumer recycled plastics. Of course, they'll also get the job done spec-wise, with the 22-inch widescreen model boasting a 1,680 by 1,050 resolution along with VGA, DVI and DisplayPort connections, while the 17 and 19-inch 4:3 models dial things back to 1,280 x 1,024 and VGA only. Good enough? Then you can grab any one right now for $110, $130 or $240.
CTIA follows industry trend, throws weight behind micro-USB
The EU's already given micro-USB its blessing as the preferred charging standard for all things mobile, and now, CTIA has done the same in the States. The move makes perfect sense considering that the OMTP and GSM Association have both endorsed it -- and if there's one thing the entire universe can agree on, it's that proprietary connectors suck. Micro-USB is being lumped together with Energy Star compliance to form the Universal Charging Solution initiative with the goal of getting everyone on the same page by the beginning of 2012. We think that's a pessimistic goal, truth be told; tons of modern phones are already rocking micro-USB, so why can't we make this happen by, say, the beginning of 2010 instead?[Via Phone Scoop]
CEA rails on California's proposed TV energy standards, rings doomsday bell
Oh, brother -- you had to see this coming, didn't you? Soon after details of the California Energy Commission's proposed TV efficiency standards leaked out, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has fired back a shocking press release in order to sound the alarm and get people in opposition. According to its "research," setting arbitrary limits on television electricity usage will end up costing California $50 million annually in state tax revenue and will destroy some 4,600 jobs in the TV sales, distribution and installation business. In the CEA's eyes, this proposal "eliminates consumer choice and will remove 25 percent of televisions from the market." Naturally, all of these assertions pay no attention whatsoever to the environment, and while we won't bother with inserting any politics here, we'd advise hitting the read link just to see what blatant bias looks like in its purest form.
Is there demand for eco TVs?
The Wall Street Journal took the time to run down some of the latest trend in televisions, labeling sets "eco" or green for their energy efficiency. Every manufacturer at CES seemed to have a line of energy efficient HDTVs, and meeting or beating Energy Star requirements has suddenly moved to the front of marketing materials. Of course, sipping a little less juice incurs a price premium up front, adding $50 or so on Vizio's Eco line over comparable displays. Compared to last year when only 20% of flat panels had green features, manufacturers seem to be betting big on a shift to more efficient entertainment, but we're not sure how high that will be on customer's lists compared to price, features and picture quality.
AT&T gets proud: 100% of U-verse TV STBs meet or beat Energy Star requirements
It's hard to know how many other pay-TV providers could say this very same thing but are simply choosing not to brag, but AT&T's holding nothing back in its latest release. The operator has proudly come forward and proclaimed that 100 percent of its U-verse TV receivers meet or exceed Energy Star efficiency requirements, and all new Motorola and Cisco set-top-boxes will boast the accompanying Energy Star label. Not trying to stroke your ego or anything, AT&T, but way to be green.
LCD vs Plasma in 2009
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/television/LCD_Vs_Plasma_in_2009'; Although the debate between LCD and plasma has raged on for years, the real battle only started two years ago when manufacturers started producing LCDs big enough to go head to head with plasmas. Now that it has been raging for two years, we've seen some interesting trends develop. LCDs have been very successful at pushing plasma out of its most popular size, 42-inches, and some manufacturers have stopped producing that size all together. Also a result of the success of LCDs, the number of plasma manufactures has decreased over the past two years. Pioneer is the most notable to announce its plan to stop producing its own plasmas starting with the next model and will instead buy glass from Panasonic, but Hitachi and Phillips have also announced similar plans -- and Fujitsu got out of the display business all together. Some might use these events combined with the latest green movement to conclude that plasma is dead, but not so fast.
Plasmas from Hitachi, Pioneer, LG, Panasonic break onto the Energy Star list
Not to be outdone by their LCD brethren, plasma displays from Hitachi, LG, Panasonic and Pioneer have earned the right to wear Energy Star badges (or sashes). All told, 43 models from the manufacturers successfully navigated the 208-Watt "on mode" and less than 1-Watt "standby mode" limbo stick, and although the Plasma Display Coalition isn't crowing about smashing the requirements like JVC did with its LCDs, it's still a testament to advances to plasma efficiency. For us plasma-philes here at Engadget HD, knowing our obsessive pursuit of image quality isn't destroying the planet is a bit like having our cake and eating it, too.
JVC brags about smashing Energy Star 3.0 requirements
With just about every new set out besting those newfangled Energy Star 3.0 requirements, we're not so sure why JVC would choose to brag about it. Unless, of course, it has really trumped practically every other set out there in terms of efficiency. As fate would have it, that's exactly what the outfit is claiming, noting that in the 32-inch class, JVC is "tied for the most efficient TV," while in the 40- to 42-inch and 46- to 47-inch classes, it "swept the first four places, in every case significantly more efficient than the Energy Star requirement." All in all, JVC's sets managed to outperformed the baselines by anywhere from 29- to 60-percent, instantly skyrocketing them onto the must-buy list of tree huggers the world over. Check the full release after the break.
Vizio goes Energy Star 3.0 compliant, launches 32-inch EcoHD LCD TV
Following in the eco-friendly footsteps of Insignia, Vizio has announced that 100% of its HDTVs that are shipping now to US / Canadian retailers "meet or exceed Energy Star 3.0 requirements." The flat-panel maker claims that at least nine of its models actually exceed the specifications by as much as 25%, and every last one of its 22- / 19-inch sets use far less energy than a conventional 60-watt light bulb. In related news, the company is also taking this opportunity to officially launch its 32-inch EcoHD LCD HDTV, which slurps down 44% less energy than a typical 32-inch LCD TV. The set will pack a 12,500:1 dynamic contrast ratio, SRS TruSurround XT audio, multiple HDMI inputs and a stylish white piano colored bezel. If that sounds like something you'd be interested in, you can latch on later this month for $499.99.
All Insignia LCD TVs to meet or exceed Energy Star 3.0 spec
While Best Buy completely failed to issue a press release trumpeting the inability of its latest Profile 2.0 Blu-ray deck to pass Energy Star specifications, it didn't hesitate to pump one out extolling the power-sipping virtues of its Insignia LCD televisions. In case you weren't aware, the Energy Star 3.0 specification went into effect at the beginning of this month, and any Insignia LCD TV manufactured after November 1, 2008 will meet those requirements; in fact, six of the models will exceed the requirements by 15% of more. Um, cookie?
EPA calls for greener consoles starting 2010
As you play your beloved Super Mario game tapes, your Nintendo Box drains energy from earth's dwindling supply. It's a well-known scientific fact that at our current rate of consumption, Earth will be returned to an archaic wasteland within thirty years, when feared energy pirates will travel between the planet's ruined cities, plundering precious fuel for their own contemptible settlements. Luckily, the Environmental Protection Agency has a plan to combat our wasteful ways.The EPA hopes to include modern home gaming consoles in their Energy Star plan which has been regulating the energy usage of certain home appliances since 1992. The latest draft of the plan addresses the power consumption rates of Wiis, Xbox 360s and PS3s, requiring an auto-off function, a sleep mode, and low-energy network settings in all consoles produced after July 1, 2010. We certainly hope the plan is adopted, lest we be left to our seemingly inevitable, Mad Max-esque fate.
EPA wants greener consoles starting in 2010
While they're not as crazy as, say, Greenpeace, the EPA is concerned about the energy uses of home consoles. They plan to introduce new energy requirements for home consoles starting July 1, 2010 as part of its Energy Star program. These new requirements include an auto off function, a sleep mode for television/display, power scaling and a wireless access point function that will use less than 10 watts of power. Seeing as how the Wii already uses less power than its competitors, it shouldn't be too much of a hassle for Nintendo to include these functions. Why 2010 though? The EPA hopes that's enough lead time for console manufacturers to institute these new features.[Via 1UP]
Updated Energy Star spec goes into effect November 1
The new Energy Star 3.0 TV specification -- this time including a test for how much electricity televisions use while turned on, not just while off -- goes into effect next month. According to CNET's tests, the difference in power saved by more efficient (but not necessarily ideal PQ) default settings could be as much as a $100 a year, although that will vary based on the TV and the settings. Of course the new rules mean only 25 to 30-percent of TVs are expected to be able to meet the standard, but when you see it on a box, it will actually mean something. Punch the read link for the final draft, we're just going to turn some unnecessary lights off.[Via Crave]
