Asleep on the job.

• Author: Young, John E.
• Position: Reducing energy consumption of computers

Few technologies have evolved as rapidly as the personal computer. Today's machines are a far cry from those of even a few years ago, with the newest capable of performing basic tasks - such as printing or running a spreadsheet program - dozens of times faster than their ancestors.

However, in one respect - energy use - today's desktop computers are still dinosaurs. A typical machine uses 80 to 160 watts of power (see table), about as much as an incandescent light bulb.

Desktop Computer Energy Use Component Power Use (watts) monitor 30-70 logic board 14-63 power supply 15-45 hard disk drive 10-15 video or other cards 5-15 microprocessor 6 memory 0.5-4 fan 2 floppy disk drive 0.1-0.3 Total (average) 80-160 watts Source: Apple computer This may not seem like much power, but the 30 to 35 million personal computers in the United States account for an estimated 5 percent of commercial electricity use. At the current rate of growth - the fastest of any segment of the commercial market - computers' share could reach 10 percent by the year 2000, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

To counter this trend, EPA launched in June 1992 the Energy Star Computers program, a cooperative venture between the agency and leading computer and monitor makers. The agency has convinced 18 firms - including Apple, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and Digital Equipment Corporation - to improve the energy efficiency of their desktop equipment. Firms whose products meet Energy Star's power-saving standards can use a special logo on their products and in advertising starting in June 1993.

EPA estimates that if Energy Star computers capture two-thirds of the market by the year 2000, their use could prevent 20 million tons of carbon dioxide from pouring out of electric power plants each year - an amount equal to the output of 5 million automobiles (which happens to be the number of new cars produced in the United States each year). Also kept out of the air will be thousands of tons of nitrogen and sulfur oxide air pollutants, which lead to acid rain.

Energy Star is the most recent of several new EPA programs - such as "Green Lights," which promotes the installation of energy-saving fluorescent lights in commercial buildings - centered on cooperation with industry. While the computer industry already possessed the technical expertise to build energy-saving machines, EPA sped their design and introduction by acting as an impartial intermediary in the...