After four years, multiple stakeholder engagements, and thousands of person-hours of work, friends of efficiency can celebrate the California Energy Commission’s decision to the nation’s first mandatory efficiency standards for computers and computer monitors. The new standards, covering desktops, laptops, all-in-ones, workstations, and monitors, will cost-effectively save Californians over 2 billion kWh per year of electricity or about $370 million in utility bills once in full effect.
CEC’s estimates of combined computer and monitor standards savings
Xergy is proud to have assisted the California investor-owned utilities team and its partners in advocating for Title 20 computer and monitor standards. Over the past four years, Xergy helped develop the IOUs’ data-driven case for standards by:
- Measuring the energy impacts of discrete graphics cards and identifying best-in-class designs
- Analyzing the impacts of power supply sizing on computer efficiency and overall energy use
- Testing and analyzing the impact of real-world use conditions on computer power draw
- Assisting in the development of new expandability-based frameworks for computer classification
- Gathering high-quality data on the power requirements for monitors and their various features through testing and secondary research
California is a world leader in establishing energy efficiency targets that save consumers money, reduce the need for new power plants, and mitigate the climate impacts of products we use every day. We are proud to contribute to this effort and look forward to more energy efficiency leadership from the Golden State.