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Acer has always been dedicated to designing products with energy saving features. In 1992, Acer introduced the AcerPAC personal computer equipped with multimedia functions and automatic energy saving in the shutdown mode. In 1993 AcerPAC was awarded the Energy Star label by the U.S. EPA . Today, Acer strives to abide with the energy-saving requirements in our product designs, and comply with Energy Star. See list of Energy Star qualified products: desktop PCs, notebook PCs, monitors. Since Energy Star updated its standards on July 20, 2007, 73% of Acer notebook PCs, 16% of Acer desktop PCs and 100% of Acer LCD monitors have been verified as Energy Star compliant.
In light of limited energy and resources available to mankind, and growing awareness for significant issues such as climate changes, Acer has also become a sponsoring member of the Climate Saver Computing Initiative (jointly founded by Google and Intel) in 2007. Acer has pledged to adopt CSCI’s objectives of producing and purchasing products of lower power consumption as an effort to contribute to the planet we live in. For a detailed introduction on CSCI, please visit http://www.climatesaverscomputing.org/
Moreover, Acer's product R&D department also developed an energy consumption management software called Acer ePower Management, allowing users to maximize energy efficiency based on the nature of work performed, and attain optimal usage of battery power.
For detailed content relating to Energy and Climate Change, please visit Acer Integrated Strategy on Energy and Climate Change
Response to EU EuP Directive
On 7 June 2005 , EU officials announced the Energy-using Products (EuP) Directive, which established a framework for the setting of Eco-Design Requirements for Energy-Using Products. The EuP Directive came into force on 11 August 2005 .
Staying abreast of world trends, Acer coordinated with the Industrial Development Bureau (IDB), Ministry of Economic Affairs and Center for Environmental, Safety and Health Technology Development (CESH) to conduct a case study of Eco-Design compliant products in July 2005. The primary purpose of this study was to develop standard operating procedures of Eco-Design Requirements for Acer and review the current environmental assessment system so that Acer can improve the Eco-Design of products.
The study selected one Acer's Notebook PCs ?code-named "Morar" and conducted an environmental load assessment based on EU eco-labeling directives as well as a life cycle assessment. The resulting technical report on EuP compliancy showed that Morar consumed less energy at idle status than stipulated in the EU eco-labeling standards, representing a 55.8% decrease in energy use and environmental load. Total energy consumption during usage showed a 5.8% decrease in both electricity use and environmental load.
The documents will serve as a reference while striving for greener production in the design of future models. Experience of this case study will also be applied to all other production lines to facilitate further development of green production.
Cases of Resource and Energy Saving Design
- Acer ultra Small Form Factor PC
Ever since the first PC came out 25 years ago, Acer has been introducing cutting-edge new products. Now the Acer research group has set a new golden standard with the development of its 3 liters desktop computer. In August 2006, Acer launched its brand new super-function ultra Small Form Factor (uSFF) PC to fulfill five top demands for compactness, high-efficiency, superior heat dissipation, silence, and energy efficiency.
Acer's uSFF PC is completely lead-free. All major components including CPU and hard drive are identical to the desktop computer, making its performance comparable to that of the traditional desktop computer. In addition, the uSFF PC has eight USB drives and has great potential for expansion. In addition to these high performance designs, the design of the uSFF PC has taken on many environmental and health design considerations.
- Resource-efficient
Compared to the 30kg traditional PC, Acer's uSFF PC is lightweight at tenth the volume and weighing only 3kg. Compared to the traditional desktop computer, the uSFF PC saves on the use of raw materials fitting the dimensions of an A4 piece of paper and having a thickness of only 6cm. This miniature product also saves a great deal of packaging materials and greatly reduces energy consumption during shipping. A 40-ton freight container can hold 1,936 uSFF PC, allowing a shipping efficiency 3.3 times greater than traditional PCs.
- Energy efficiency
The Acer uSFF PC uses an intelligent energy management system to ensure that the CPU automatically adjusts operations to match the actual workload and provide optimal efficiency per Watt, ensuring low temperatures, energy efficiency, and silent operation. Compared to the 250W maximum power consumption of the traditional desktop computer, the Acer uSFF PC's maximum power consumption is only 90~130W. This promotes efficient energy usage and offers a savings of 48%~64% in terms of energy consumption.
All miniature personal computers need to overcome the problem of heat distribution. The Acer uSFF PC extracts heat through the top and takes in cooler air through the bottom making it the only computer with thermo siphoning technology, using convection principles to allow even heat release through perforations on both sides. Hot air is allowed to rise while cooler air is drawn in through the bottom of the computer, resulting in effective heat control to maintain system stability, reduced use of high volume extraction fans to dissipate heat, and reduced power consumption.
- Easy disassemble design
Full consideration has been given to maintenance and convenient reuse and recycling of end-of-use products. The Acer SFF PC adopts an easy disassemble design requiring the twist of just two screws to access the interior for basic part change and maintenance.
- Unrivaled silence
Acer's uSFF PC uses a unique silent fan that emits only 26 decibels during normal operations. This is a great improvement over the average PC, which has a noise emission of about 30~35 decibels. The result is a more comfortable and more peaceful working environment. (Note: above measurements are taken at 25° Celsius, humidity 68% while system is in standby mode)
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