2013 was a banner year for environmental news. Government EPEAT guidelines went into effect after four years of negotiation, the latest and most stringent version of ENERGY STAR criteria were announced and BLI published its first “Guide to an Eco-Friendlier Office” and a record number of Environmental Test Reports on bliQ. Now, into its fifth year of environmental testing, BLI has produced its first environmental white paper that analyzes BLI-tested energy consumption and recovery time data across all product categories, segments and manufacturers tested to date.
The energy consumption trends are based on each product’s projected annual energy consumption based on BLI’s real-world environmental job stream test. Given the technological advances and stricter environmental guidelines the market has seen since 2009, it should come as no surprise that the overarching trend across the board is a reduction in energy consumption. But perhaps most interesting is the degree to which energy consumption has been reduced in some segments, with one product group showing an average projected annual energy consumption reduction of as much as 66 percent from 2009.
The time it takes for devices to recover from sleep mode during daily use has also become shorter for many segments evaluated. Since many devices can get up and running much faster, users no longer need to wait for extended periods of time while the device warms up. This means that devices can be set to enter their lowest energy state as soon as possible, conserving energy without sacrificing productivity. While the trends are clear, our research showed that not every vendor’s current product line offers lower energy consumption and faster recovery times when compared against predecessor models.
This report explores energy consumption, recovery time and feature set trends of tested devices by product segment and vendor. It should be noted that these results are based entirely on BLI’s environmental testing and should not be considered an endorsement of one product or manufacturer over another. The report focuses on five of the most popular A4 printer and printer MFP groups, and five of the most popular A3 MFP groups. For each group, we provide year-over-year projected annual energy consumption and recovery time data, as tested by BLI, as well as side-by-side energy consumption comparisons of predecessor/replacement models in each group from the top nine document imaging equipment vendors in the industry.
But perhaps the most important bit of information this report provides is proof of the industry’s commitment to change. Environmental claims have gained popularity over the past five years. But they’re not always accompanied by quantifiable, year-over-year data to back up said environmental claims. BLI has the privilege of testing the majority of A4- and A3-size document imaging product lines introduced each year by the top manufacturers, providing us with an intimate glimpse into the ongoing performance of such devices. That’s why BLI strives to provide comprehensive energy data based on proprietary real-world testing. To have your own in-depth look at BLI’s energy consumption test data and more, ask one of BLI’s helpful sales associates for information on the “Environmental Trends and Projections” white paper.
