EPEAT-rated Electronics Environmental Benefits Calculator
The Electronics Environmental Benefits Calculator can assist institutional purchasers in quantifying the benefits of environmentally sound management of electronic equipment. The Calculator estimates the environmental and economic benefits of purchasing EPEAT-registered products. EPEAT is derived from the acronym for "Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool."
EPEAT is a system to help purchasers evaluate, compare, and select electronic products based on their environmental attributes. Whereas the Energy Star program rates products solely on energy usage. EPEAT ratings are based on:
- Reduction/elimination of environmentally sensitive materials
- Materials selection
- Design for end of life
- Product longevity/life cycle extension
- Energy conservation
- End of life management
- Corporate performance
- Packaging
This calculator is designed to evaluate EPEAT-registered desktop (with CRT or LCD screens) and notebook computers. Users can calculate the benefits of reuse and recycling of computers as well as mobile telephones. It also allows users to identify savings in:
- Energy use
- Virgin material use (increase in recycled materials)
- CO2/Greenhouse gas emissions
- Air emissions
- Water emissions
- Toxic materials
- Municipal solid waste generation
- Hazardous waste generation
- Cost, where feasible
This tool would be useful for procurement officers looking to quantify the benefits of low impact electronics and to justify any added upfront costs. The calculator is relatively simple to use, and provides instructions for all pages and required inputs. It provides real world impact explanations and graphical representations along with the energy savings and CO2 emission reduction data.
Reduction in, or elimination of, the use of natural and other energy resources. Also includes installations or modifications of equipment or systems intended to reduce energy use and costs.A measure of a building's or product's energy performance compared with that of similar buildings or products, as determined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency / U.S. Department of Energy's ENERGY STARŪ Portfolio Manager. The collection, reprocessing, marketing, and use of materials that were diverted or recovered from the solid waste stream.Greenhouse gases are a part of the Earth's atmosphere and are both naturally occurring and the result of human chemical processes. The most common greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, and chlorofluourocarbons. These gases trap heat and thus contribute to the warming of the planet. See also CFCS and GREENHOUSE EFFECT.The ability or potential of a physical body to do work. The most common forms of energy are heat, light, mechanical (moving parts), and electrical.
