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California to Cut Power Usage with Computer Energy-Efficiency Standards

The world’s sixth-largest (or is it eleventh-largest?) economy has just set new energy-efficiency standards for computers:

The California Energy Commission has passed sweeping energy-efficiency standards for computers and monitors in an effort to reduce power costs, becoming the first state in the nation to adopt such rules.

The regulations promise to reduce energy consumed by computers by about one-third, saving ratepayers about $373 million in utility bills by 2027, and figure to have effects far beyond California’s state lines [Rob Nikolewski, “California Adopts Nation’s First Energy-Efficiency Rules for Computers,” Los Angeles Times, 2016.12.15].

The standards require computers and monitors to draw less power while idling. These changes will cut residential power usage by 3%, commercial power usage by 7%, and greenhouse gas emissions from fossil-fuel-burning power plants by 700,000 tons a year. The electricity saved is enough to power all the homes in San Francisco and San Luis Obispo counties, about 350,000 homes. If we assume proportionate computer and power usage in South Dakota, those standards would save enough electricity to power Roberts and Oglala Lakota counties, or our thirteen smallest counties (Miner, Faulk, Sanborn, Potter, Jerauld, Mellette, Haakon, Buffalo, Campbell, Hyde, Sully, Harding, and Jones), or almost all of Lawrence County.

These standards will come to South Dakota and everywhere else, because, as with Texas and textbooks, as goes California on technology, so goes the nation:

But the rules could have a much wider impact on the US. California is a massive market for technology, with an estimated 25 million computer monitors, 21 million desktop computers, and 23 million notebooks currently being used in the state. In many cases, a manufacturer will find it more economical to meet California’s standards for all products it sells in the US than to create an energy efficient version of its products for California and an less-energy-efficient version of its products for the rest of the US [Megan Guess, “California Adopts First Energy-Efficiency Standards for PCs in US,” Ars Technica, 2016.12.15].

Besides, the computer industry backs these standards right alongside the Natural Resources Defense Council. Tech makers want to save energy as much as environmentalists and the rest of us do… and they surely won’t mind shifting some marginal cash from the power companies to their pockets:

By 2021, the commission estimates, the new rules will make the cost of each desktop about $14 more expensive, but consumers would save more than $55 over five years in reduced energy bills.

Monitors will cost about $5 more but are expected to lead to $30 in savings over seven years, the commission said. It said that laptops will cost about $1 more, but that energy savings in four years will be more than $2 [Nikolewski, 2016.12.15].

Federal environmental policy is about to fall apart, but we can still look to smart states like California to drive positive energy and environmental policy.

7 Comments

  1. crossgrain 2016-12-20 09:14

    As a graphic designer and member of the Glorious PC Gaming Master Race, I wonder how/if this will impact custom pc builders. Would I be able to configure and build my own if it doesn’t meet the standards? Will boutique builders like Falcon Northwest and Shark have to comply as well? Dunno if I can live without 4K resolution at 60 frames/sec. :-(

  2. Porter Lansing 2016-12-20 12:37

    Sorry, Koch Bros. When you inherited your coal empire you knew it was damaging the earth. You had a choice to either diversify (as tobacco did) or attempt to buy politicians and muddle the truth. You chose the latter and here’s hoping you die bankrupt for your public insolence.
    ~ Renewable energy technology is ready to go, and it is working reliably in countries around the world.
    http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/climate-change/energyrevolution/renewable-energy-myths/

  3. Robert McTaggart 2016-12-20 13:03

    Seems that the success of renewables will rely upon smart grid technology to “manage” the energy. If the demand outstrips the supply, I don’t see how grid management helps you…unless it forces you to use less. You didn’t need to use all that energy any way ;^).

  4. Porter Lansing 2016-12-20 13:27

    “It’s certainly true that the physics suggest operating a bigger grid is better,” said Marc Joseph, attorney with Adams, Broadwell, Joseph, and Cardozo, “but . . . the politics—the policy—is still up in the air.”
    http://www.powermag.com/western-region-power-grid-coming-soon/

  5. Robert McTaggart 2016-12-20 13:37

    For the moment, largely due to the historically low price of natural gas, a wind/solar/natural gas combo will largely populate such a grid. But the more gas we use on the grid the more carbon we emit, and some day the price of gas will go up.

  6. caheidelberger Post author | 2016-12-22 21:05

    Crossgrain, your gaming is destroying the planet. Cut it out. ;-)

    Seriously, I don’t think the standards will crimp your style. First, according to the California Energy Commission, “The targets center on the performance in idle, sleep and off modes and do not set a limit for active mode.” The standards don’t affect your power usage while gaming, only when you hit pause and run out to 7-11 for more Red Bull.

    Second, the standards appear to exempt small-volume manufacturers. According to a September report from a law firm, computer firms “with gross revenues of $2 million or less in the preceding 12 months and that assemble and sell computers at the same location… must comply with power management settings but are exempt from all other requirements for computers unless they produce more than 40 units of a similar system.” It seems that private California users/gamers can continue to build custom dream machines for themselves at home.

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