It is estimated that there are around 18.5 million printers being used today in households throughout the UK. Between them they consume enough energy to supply all the yearly electricity required by a quarter of a million UK households (Energy Saving Trust). It is believed that by the year 2020, computing and entertainment technology will collectively account for around 40% of the electricity used in UK households. Therefore, when we go to purchase a new printer, it is important that we take a closer look at the product we are buying in regards to how much energy it uses, and find the one that is the most energy efficient.

Energy Saving Trust Recommended Printers

Most British consumers are used to seeing Energy Saving Recommended (ESR) labels on products such as fridges, washing machines and light bulbs, and will look for them when considering a purchase (Epson, 2010). This is because ESR labels indicate the most energy efficient products on the market. Now, for the first time, ESR labels can be seen on Epson printers throughout the UK.

The average non-Energy Saving Trust Recommended printer consumes around 30W of electricity when it is switched on, around 5W of electricity when it is in sleep mode, and around 1.5W of electricity when it is in standby mode. In comparison to this, an Energy Saving Trust Recommended printer is proven to use less than 22W of electricity when it is switched on, less than 3.5W of electricity when it is in sleep mode, and less than 1W of electricity when it is in standby mode. All in all, an Energy Saving Trust Recommended printer uses around 25% less power when switched on and 40% less power in sleep and standby modes.

Epson printers currently on the market with an Energy Saving Recommended (ESR) label include:

• Epson Stylus D92 – Operational electricity consumption 10W, Sleep mode electricity consumption 1.5W. Based on 1 hour of printing per day and 7 hours of sleep mode per day (8 hour working days), 260 working days a year, this printer has a carbon footprint of 2.29kg CO₂/year.
• Epson Stylus D120– Operational electricity consumption 15W, Sleep mode electricity consumption 2W. Based on 1 hour of printing per day and 7 hours of sleep mode per day (8 hour working days), 260 working days a year, this printer has a carbon footprint of 3.2kg CO₂/year.
• Epson Stylus R285– Operational electricity consumption 12W, Sleep mode electricity consumption 1.2W. Based on 1 hour of printing per day and 7 hours of sleep mode per day (8 hour working days), 260 working days a year, this printer has a carbon footprint of 2.3kg CO₂/year.
• Epson Stylus R800– Operational electricity consumption 20W, Sleep mode electricity consumption 2W. Based on 1 hour of printing per day and 7 hours of sleep mode per day (8 hour working days), 260 working days a year, this printer has a carbon footprint of 3.8kg CO₂/year.
• Epson Stylus 1400– Operational electricity consumption 16W, Sleep mode electricity consumption 1.5W. Based on 1 hour of printing per day and 7 hours of sleep mode per day (8 hour working days), 260 working days a year, this printer has a carbon footprint of 3kg CO₂/year.
• Epson Stylus R1900– Operational electricity consumption 20W, Sleep mode electricity consumption 2.8W. Based on 1 hour of printing per day and 7 hours of sleep mode per day (8 hour working days), 260 working days a year, this printer has a carbon footprint of 4.4kg CO₂/year.
• Epson Stylus R2400– Operational electricity consumption 20W, Sleep mode electricity consumption 2W. Based on 1 hour of printing per day and 7 hours of sleep mode per day (8 hour working days), 260 working days a year, this printer has a carbon footprint of 3.8kg CO₂/year.
• Epson Stylus RX585– Operational electricity consumption 15W, Sleep mode electricity consumption 1.5W. Based on 1 hour of printing per day and 7 hours of sleep mode per day (8 hour working days), 260 working days a year, this printer has a carbon footprint of 2.9kg CO₂/year.

*All carbon footprint calculations have been made based on the guidelines published by DEFRA (2007) which state that 1kWh of electricity = 0.43kgCO₂.

There are also a number of other printers on the market that are not produced by Epson, however, they do fall into the category of an Energy Saving Recommended (ESR) printer due to their energy performance. These include printers produced from Canon and HP, and can be seen along with their annual carbon footprint calculations [1].

Advantages of Buying Energy Saving Trust Recommended Printers

• Choosing an Energy Saving Trust Recommended printer over a non-Energy Saving Trust Recommended printer can save you a third of the electricity you would normally use   running your printer over a year.
• If everyone buying a new inkjet printer in the UK were to buy an Energy Saving Trust Recommended printer, they would save over £1.2million a year on their electricity bills, and nearly 6,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO ₂), equivalent to taking over 2,000 cars off the UK’s roads (Energy Saving Trust, 2010).

[1] http://www.sustit.net/energy_saving.php?id=79&start=0&sd=0&tariff=38