Apple and the Environment: Energy Efficiency

In response to my request for ideas on "Improving the energy efficiency of PCs and monitors in Australia", Vicki Hawthorne, Environment and Compliance Manager, Apple Pty Limited (Australia) sent me links to the general environmental information and very detailed specifications for products which Apple supply on the web:

1. Apple and the Environment: A general introduction to Apple's response to environmental issues,
2. Apple Energy Efficiency: Apple's approach to energy efficiency for computers,
3. Apple Product Environmental Specifications: Details of what environmental standards each Apple product meets.

As an example, Apple's Mac mini Desktop, Technical Specifications indicate that it meets Meets ENERGY STAR requirements.
The Environmental attributes listing
has six pages of tables indicating compliance with environmental programs from: ECMA, IT ECO, Blue Angel, ENERGY STAR®, and TCO. This includes a page of energy consumption data.

Details are provided of: Power supply maximum continuous power rating, External power supply (AC adaptor) no-load power consumption, Average Efficiency, Product meets ENERGY STAR® v4.0 criteria, External power supply (AC adapter) meets ENERGY STAR® criteria, External power supply (AC adapter) meets European Code of Conduct (2003) criteria, Product meets US FEMP (Federal Energy Management Program) criteria.

There is information as to if information about the energy save function is given in the user manual, id sleep mode is activated automatically, and that the product will not be damaged if separated from power source for at least 4 weeks and the.

Also included are definitions of energy consumption modes from Energy Star Program Requirements for Computers Version 4.0 specification:

1. Idle: State in which the system has completed loading Mac OS X.
2. Sleep - WOL on: Low power state that is entered automatically after a period of inactivity or by selecting sleep from the Apple menu. Wake-on-LAN, a Mac OS X default feature that allows the system to wake from sleep when directed by a network request, is enabled for this test.
3. Sleep - WOL off: Low power state that is entered automatically after a period of inactivity or by selecting sleep from the Apple menu. Wake-on-LAN functionality, which allows the system to wake from sleep when directed by a network request, is disabled through the Energy Saver System Preference panel.
4. Off: Lowest power mode of the system, also referred to as standby-mode or shutdown.

Definitions of energy consumption modes from section 5.2 of the Energy Star Program Requirements for Single Voltage External AC-DC
and AC-AC Power Supplies:

1. No-Load: Condition in which the power adapter is connected to AC power, but not connected to the system.
2. Average Efficiency: Average of the power adapter’s measured efficiency when tested at 100%, 75%, 50%, and 25% of the power adapter’s rated power output.