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Running an efficient office: Computers and printers
Run an energy-efficient office -- not merely an efficient office. Electronic office equipment is the fastest-growing source of demand for electricity in the United States. Although commercial businesses account for most of that growth, the increasing use of home computers, fax machines and other office equipment also contributes to the growing demand. If you want to make the best use of electricity while taking care of your business -- whether it's a full-time job or just playing computer games with the kids -- keep these tips in mind:
- Laptop computers are much more energy efficient than desktop models.
- Energy use varies greatly among the types of computers on the market today. So if you're buying a new model, check out its energy consumption numbers. But generally, faster computers use more power than slow ones, and color monitors use more power than gray-scale.
- It's much more efficient to operate peripherals -- such as CD-ROM drives, hard drives and modems -- when they're installed in the computer than to run external add-ons.
- Laser printers use almost twice as much energy as inkjet and dot matrix printers. And with improvements in inkjet technology, the quality they produce is excellent, and they're much less expensive to purchase.
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