Sleep regulations for network equipment won’t make much difference.

As of yesterday, new routers, modems, WiFi hubs and other networking equipment must conform to EU energy efficiency requirements (COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) No 801/2013). These regulations are like the standby regulation we already have – but networking equipment was previously exempt because they can’t go to sleep properly, they have to watch for network traffic and wake up immediately, so this is more of a light doze. This is reflected in the requirements. The maximum power for normal standby is 1W but for a network device the limit is 12 W for now, reducing to 8W from 1 Jan 2017 [1] [2].

Can you really save £86/year by switching off the vampires?

DECC tells us we can save £86/year by switching off TVs, laptops and chargers when not in use.(See 5 energy myths that will shock your socks off #VampireEnergy.) That figure of £86 comes from a report called Powering the Nation based on data collected from 250 households in 2010/2011 - the Household Electricity Survey. Total household standby power was estimated in two ways, giving 47 W and 81 W. The higher figure - giving the £86 - was calculated by looking at how much households used overnight, then subtracting power for things like fridges and freezers that are active at that time. It includes not just chargers and TVs but also things like set top boxes, DVRs and computer network routers that you normally leave on all the time so they are always ready. Set top boxes can use up to 24W and routers often use 10W or more.

The 2050 office - a view from 2013.

Preparing for a series of workshops on energy efficiency in buildings I took another look at the 2050 Pathways tool[1] and was reminded of the importance of energy efficiency in the workplace as well as at home. This tool was developed by DECC for evaluating options to reduce our carbon emissions over the 2050 timescale and all of the example pathways include high targets for energy efficiency across all sectors. However, the base case for lighting and appliances assumes an increase in energy use up to 2050 - 20% more in homes and 35% more in the commercial sector. Is this reasonable? If you haven't decided on a new year resolution why not think about a campaign to save energy in the office.

Energy star labels for computers

I have sometimes wondered why computers don't have energy labels like washing machines and refrigerators. However, it turns out there are lots of different environmental labeling systems and some of them do apply to computer equipment. Directgov has an overview of various labeling systems here. Two that apply to computer equipment are the EU Energy Star system, which is tied to the US Energy Star system, and the Energy Saving Trust Recommended Products list (EST). It turns out my computer (a rather obsolete Mac Mini) qualifies but my monitor just misses. (I didn't choose it, it was a present.) I had a good look at the Energy Star criteria for certification and was surprised that

• For computers the active power consumption doesn't matter, they are expected to spend most of their time idle, asleep or off.
• Games consoles are excluded, so they can't be Energy Star at all.
• For monitors the active power allowed depends on size and for screens over 50" 300W or more is accepted, allowing even some plasmas to qualify (click here for a list).

The EST criteria are calculated and set differently. For computers EST is considerably more strict but for small displays the EST criteria are much less exacting.

Should I work from home to save fuel?

With the price of fuel these days, getting to work can be an expensive business. However, if you work from home there are other costs to consider - like running your computer, heating and lighting. Does it really make sense to stay at home, if you can? As always there doesn't seem to be a simple answer - it depends on your situation.

Carbon footprint for reading a newspaper on an iPad

Making paper (even recycled), printing it and transporting it uses a lot of energy and generates carbon emissions. However e-readers such as the iPad or the Kindle also have a carbon cost for manufacturing. In my book I explore the payback time for reading books on a Kindle and I reckon, depending on your assumptions, it comes to about 70 books – which in my case would be a couple of years reading. However, newspapers consume a huge amount of paper too, and can just about sensibly be read now with something like an iPad. If you read a newspaper every day, how long would it take to pay back the initial carbon emissions from the iPad?