Energy Efficient Computers - Sustainable Procurement

CASE STUDY: SUSTAINABLE PROCUREMENT IN SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA

At the heart of Silicon Valley, the businesses and residents of San Jose are at the forefront of computing. And as one of the ten largest cities in the United States, the City of San Jose is itself a major user of computers. So it's not surprising that as part of its sustainability initiatives, the City of San Jose decided to push the envelope in sustainable computing, becoming the first city to require purchase of EPEAT qualified computers.

San Jose was drafting an RFP for computer purchases in early 2006, just as the EPEAT standards were finalized. Even though no products were yet officially certified, they knew that about 60 models would qualify, so they decided to insert the requirement into the RFP. The requirement was a great success, and has been standard practice in the city ever since.

The city likes the EPEAT system because there are many qualified models available, there are measurable benefits, the standard covers all aspects of sustainability, and the requirement is easy to specify & implement. Plus, the city has found no difference in performance between EPEAT-certified and non-certified computers. In fact, the program has been such a success that by March 2008, the city had purchased 1,776 computers and 1,770 monitors. Thanks to their EPEAT program, by March 2008 the city had saved:

• 1.5 Gigawatt-hours of electricity
• 1 million pounds of materials
• 52,000 pounds of carbon equivalents
• 2.7 million pounds of air emissions
• 6,000 pounds of water emissions
• 60 pounds in toxic materials usage
• 2,100 pounds in hazardous waste
• $126,000

Photo Credit:  Courtesy of Sony Electronics:  SONY VAIO TT Series