The United States operates over 220 million units of imaging equipment (laser printers mostly) distributed in majority of offices and households. The combined use of these imaging equipment consumes over 40 billion kilowatt hours (KWh) of electricity annually which is equivalent to 2% of the US building sector’s total energy consumption. In the same way the USEPA (United States Environment Protection Agency) recommended the switch from incandescent bulbs to CFL (compact fluorescent lamps) in the intent of pursuing energy saving practices; laser printer users are now being urged to switch from conventional units to Energy Star classified laser printers.
The conventional laser printer, when in full operation, use about 1,300 watts of electrical energy. In stand-by mode, the unit consumes about 300 watts of electrical energy. That much wattage is expended inefficiently just to continuously heat up the fuser rollers of the printer on standby. And since office personnel tend to forget to unplug the equipment at the end of office hours; around 5 kilowatts more is added to the projected 10 kilowatt total daily energy consumption or 15 kilowatts if the printer is left unplugged during weekends. Therefore at month’s end, the average electrical energy consumption is pegged at around 360 kilowatts or 4,320 kilowatts annually. That is equivalent to electricity expenditure of $650 for each laser printer for offices or households based in New York.
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Energy Star features a sleep mode (switches the printer to stand-by automatically after long periods of inactivity), which reduces energy consumption by as much as 50% to 60%. The printer on power-low mode will use only up to 40 watts of electrical energy. Said technology also constitutes an efficient printer design that allows the equipment to operate at lower temperatures. Reduced heat emission from the laser printer can therefore extend the serviceable life of the machine as this retards the wear and tear of printer parts. Consequently, this increases the efficiency of the office air-conditioning system; reducing energy expenditure and related maintenance costs in the process. Energy Star on laser printers is a supplementary energy saving technology developed by printer manufacturers through the initiative of USEPA.
Acquiring an Energy Star rated laser printer is not the end all of energy savings. The user should make it a habit to unplug the printer from the outlet following use. Note that a switched off but unplugged printer can still use up around 7 to 30 watts of electrical energy.
Reuse empty toner cartridges and save as much as 80% on printing costs. Visit http://www.lasertekservices.com and shop for the toner refill kit compatible with your cartridge.
Due perhaps to the desire to cut back on energy costs; consumers often forget that in order to enjoy substantial savings the use of replacement consumables should also be addressed. Since OEM toner cartridges are way too expensive, a compatible toner refill kit is the sensible replacement of choice when the original cartridge runs out of toner.
