HP's Five Steps Towards Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency makes good sense not only for your bottom line, but for the planet as well. Follow these steps, and you’re right on track towards implementing energy efficient measures in your environment.

Step 1
Choose a system that has power management technology and enable the technology on your systems.

EIST (Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology) and AMD Cool’n’Quiet were created to lessen power consumption when software activity does not require the full capabilities of the processor. Diminished power consumption means operating costs and heat production are lowered. HP ships all systems with Intel’s EIST and AMD’s Cool ‘n’ Quiet enabled.


Step 2
Choose a system that has a BIOS offering a wide range of configurable power management options. All HP Business Desktops ship out of the factory with all system states enabled to achieve maximum power efficiency.


You probably don’t think much about your BIOS settings, but the HP BIOS offers a range of configurable power management options, including a Standby state (S3) known as Suspend to RAM, in which all devices in the system are powered down, except for computer memory. Recovery is almost instant (approximately 2 to 3 seconds) and power consumption is very low (typically <5W).

Step 3
Choose a system processor that provides the maximum level of power efficiency.

AMD and Intel both offer processor configurations that provide power savings.

AMD: An X2 3800+ 35w processor configuration will yield the best energy efficiency. The dc5750 with this processor is HP’s most energy efficient business desktop.

Intel: An Intel system with a Core 2 Duo processor configuration will yield the best energy efficiency vs. other Intel processors.

Step 4
Choose a system configuration with an 80% efficient power supply. 80% power supplies reduce energy consumption, provide peak reduction and provide improved power quality.

What exactly is an 80% efficient power supply? When a power supply converts AC power from the wall to the various DC voltages that the computer needs, there is always a loss of power. The power loss varies with how busy the computer is. An 80% efficient power supply is designed to lose less than 20%. Currently, power supplies for desktop computers range from approximately 65 to 75% efficiency. You can save up to 52% on your PC power1 consumption with HP’s new energy star 4.0 compliant desktops featuring 80PLUS power supplies and energy efficient components.

Other benefits include:

* Increased product reliability
* Improved worker environment due to use of quieter fans
* Lower air conditioning cost
* Quieter working environment

80% efficient power supplies are available as an option on select Business Desktops. HP is the first to provide this energy saving solution to customers. When thinking of energy savings, configuring your system with an 80% efficient power supply is a great way to save on your energy bill while helping the environment.

Step 5
Replace CRT monitors with LCD technology. LCD technology provides up to 70% power savings and provides up to twice the lifespan of CRT monitors.

Replacing CRT technology with LCD technology can provide substantial power savings. For example, a floor with 100 CRT monitors requires an approximate energy consumption of 9,000 Watts per hour (W/Hr), versus only 1700 W/Hr when equipped with comparable 15-inch LCD monitors.

EnergyStar 4.0 – What’s changed?

Currently, all HP Business Desktops meet Energy Star 3.0., which was based mainly on Standby power ratings. The new, exclusive standards to be introduced July, 2007 for Energy Star 4.0 center around a system’s power performance while running in idle mode. One of the other major requirements of Energy Star 4.0 is the inclusion of an 80% efficient power supply.

If your organization is serious about Energy Star compliance, you can get a head start with HP. HP is already shipping systems that meet the new criteria, well in advance of the implementation date. HP’s 5000 and 7000 series Business Desktop PCs are available today in select models with Energy Star 4.0 compliance, and you can even get them at special SmartBuy pricing for a limited time.

1. NOTE: This example is for illustration purposes only. Savings calculations based on PCMark 05 benchmark testing results. Internal testing, customer results will vary. Variables include customer determined percentage of sleep state, idle state, productivity state, and peak usage state. Also, manufacturing variability will effect the savings a customer may see. HP advises customers to test a system with an 80% efficient power supply in their environment to determine potential savings. Customers not using a sleep state should see higher savings as idle state draws more watts.

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