By Jody Record, Media Relations

Here’s the thing about the new Energy Efficient Product Standards recently adopted by UNH: The kinds of goods promoted are those you’re going to use anyway so why not go for the ones that will save energy?

The standards, signed by John Aber, vice president of research and public service and chairman of the UNH Energy Task Force, and Dick Cannon, vice president of finance and administration, were developed by the task force, the Energy Office, Office of Sustainability and the USNH Purchasing and Contracting Services Office to encourage faculty and staff to buy energy-efficient office equipment, electronics, and appliances.

To help make such purchases easier, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has developed the Energy Star rating for energy saving products, a designation the university supports.

“We wanted to put the information out to the campus population and give them as much background as we can about energy efficient products,” says Matt O'Keefe of the UNH Energy Office. “We want people to know that when they are making these purchases, there is a reason to choose energy efficiency.”

While energy-saving products might cost more upfront, they typically end up saving in the long run because they last longer and save money in energy costs.

Take computers. When not in use, an Energy Star model goes into a low-power mode and operates on 15 watts or less. That helps save energy and leads to the computer lasting longer.

According to product information, the Energy Star equipment, over its lifetime, can save the amount of electricity it would take to light an entire home for more than four years.

With computers that are left on 24 hours a day, low-power modes can make a significant energy difference.

Photocopiers eat up more energy than any other piece of office equipment because they are on but not in use for most of the day. Those with the Energy Star designation power down when not in operation, using about 40 percent less electricity than other models.

High-speed copiers that meet the Energy Star criteria are capable of making double-sided copies automatically, reducing paper costs which, in turn, results in a savings because it takes more energy to make paper than to make a photocopy.

“All these things usually have a small cost premium compared to another less energy efficient model but, when you’re talking about the life of the equipment, the lifecycle, what you think you’re saving upfront could be spent,” O’Keefe says.