Electronic and Home Office Equipment
At Home
Many Canadians now work at home, thanks to technological advances that have made it possible to purchase home computers, fax machines, printers, scanners, and photocopiers. Household use of electronic equipment, including stereos, TVs, VCRs, and DVDs has also increased. At the same time, demand to power household electrical equipment has grown considerably.
The following list of tips will help you reduce the energy that you are currently using to power your home electrical equipment. If you are thinking about buying new equipment, make sure that it has been ENERGY STAR qualified.
For further information, please consult Natural Resources Canada's Office of Energy Efficiency (OEE).
Tips
Conserve energy
•Turn off stereos, videos, DVDs, televisions, computers and other home office equipment when they are not being used. Quick Fact:1
•Consider unplugging electronic devices when not in use, since they continue to use electricity (“leaking electricity”) when in standby mode (e.g. unplug your cell phone charger when it is not in use). Quick Fact:1
•Use power bars for home entertainment systems and offices so that you can turn off power more easily when equipment is not in use. Quick Fact:1
•Activate the energy saving features on your computer, so that the computer goes into sleep or powers down if inactive. Quick Fact:1
New electronics
•If buying new electronics, make sure that they are ENERGY STAR and EnerGuide qualified. Quick Fact:1
•Consider buying an energy-efficient LCD monitor if you are purchasing a new computer. Quick Fact:1
•When buying new home office equipment, consider buying a multi-purpose machine, rather than several machines.
