OFFICE EQUIPMENT

11% of all commercial electric usage is consumed by office equipment including computers, monitors, printers, scanners and fax machines! Because many people leave their computers on all day and even over the weekends, it is important to consider ways to reduce this energy consumption that creates air pollution.

If you are about to purchase office equipment, look for the Energy Star label on these products that will help to save you money and reduce wasted energy. Energy Star enabled office equipment generates less heat, so you may also realize savings on air conditioning and maintenance. Over its lifetime, Energy Star qualified equipment in a single home office can save enough electricity to light an entire home for more than two years. You can see that this can translate into a significant savings across the Yale campus!

Please see our purchasing and energy saving tips below for each type of office machine as well as get more information from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Buyer’s Guide to Purchasing ENERGY STAR Labeled Office Equipment (PDF).

If you're considering a new desktop, laptop or monitor, you may also want to consult EPEAT, The Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool. EPEAT rates desktops, laptops and monitors based on a swath of environmental attributes. It is extremely user-friendly and informative.