.
.
The full document is available as a PDF file. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to view it. The Adobe Reader is a free product.
Download 
Standby Product Profile - Scanners and Multifunction Devices (sb200305-scanners.pdf - 320 kB)
If you are unable to access this document, please contact the Australian Greenhouse Office to organise a suitable alternative format.
In 2002, the Ministerial Council on Energy released "Money isn't all you're saving" a long-term strategy to address excessive standby energy used by consumer appliances and equipment. This strategy is also known as the "1 Watt" standby power plan.
This standby product profile covers both IT peripherals used for scanning documents, photographs and other material, including scanners and multifunction devices (MFDs). Although MFDs typically perform other functions such as printing, copying and faxing, they are included in this profile because there is a trend in Australia for scanners to be replaced by MFDs.
There are two main technologies by which scanners create digital copies of documents. Drum scanners, which are widely used in the publishing industry, have a rotating glass drum (on which the image is mounted). A sensor inside the drum splits and beams the light through colour filters to an image sensor, which digitizes the image. The more commonly used flatbed scanner has a horizontal glass bed on which the document is placed, and a scanning array which moves back and forth underneath the glass (consisting of a lamp, mirror, lens and image sensor).
A multifunction device is a physically integrated device (or a combination of functionally integrated components) that photocopies documents as well as performing either printing and/or faxing functions. It may also include scanning or other capabilities. MFDs do not include devices whose primary function is faxing and which offer limited sheet copying capabilities (so-called single sheet "convenience copying").
This standby product profile for Scanners and MFDs covers the following broad topics:
To support the preparation of this and other profiles, NAEEEC commissioned store surveys of products in major retail stores during 2001, 2002 and 2003 to collect standby measurements from a wide range of appliances and equipment. The results of these measurements are available in NAEEEC Report 2003/04.
Australian governments propose to follow the US EPA lead, promoted within the Energy Star scheme, and use off and standby consumption as the basis for setting efficiency targets. Australia through the Australian Greenhouse Office, has a long-term commitment to working with the Energy Star program and, more generally, working cooperatively within internationally supported product development programs. Australia will continue support for the international scheme (lead by US EPA) in following the proposed more stringent Energy Star criteria for imaging devices (including MFDs and scanners).
For scanners, these criteria will include standby and off mode limits which are yet to be finalised but will be finalised by Energy Star in 2004. It is likely that the off mode limits will be either 1 or 2W, and that the passive standby limit will fall between the levels proposed by US Industry and the top 25% performing products.
For MFDs, these criteria include off mode limits of not greater than 2W - other than large format devices (where the off target will be 3W). Australia proposes to use the passive and active standby energy consumption levels to be finalised by Energy Star in 2004 as the target for the new standby criteria for scanners and MFDs. It is likely that these will fall between the levels proposed by US Industry and the top 25% performing products.
Further investigations will be undertaken into the feasibility of adopting limits for active power consumption in MFDs. Australia proposes to adopt the new Energy Star criteria not earlier than 12 months after they become effective in the US, which at this time is likely to be mid-2005. The target date in Australia for commencement is therefore mid-2006.
To provide a clear signal of the Australian target and to reinforce international efficiency developments, the new Energy Star criteria will be included as a voluntary requirement in the relevant Australian Standard as soon as possible.
Based on those criteria, Australian government agencies want industry to supply evidence with respect to scanners and MFDs that:
Alternatively for MFDs only, Australian government agencies want industry to supply evidence that:
The absence of evidence showing scanners and MFDs meeting either target by that year may trigger consideration of stage two of the National Standby Strategy involving mandatory measures.
Government will announce whether this product should be targeted for stage two intervention under the National Standby Power Strategy (involving possible regulatory intervention) or whether the abovementioned actions together with industry intervention have been successful in meeting the target at the NAEEEC Forum in the year: 2008.
This page last modified 23 February 2006 Comments to Contact | Copyright & disclaimer | Privacy | Accessibility
© Commonwealth of Australia
Website credits
