NRDC Tech Point Man Hails DOE Standards on Uninterruptible Power Supplies

Release of the Department of Energy’s first energy-efficiency standards for uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs) could mean billions of dollars “in savings for American consumers and businesses, while reducing energy waste and pollution that damage our health and environment.” So said Pierre Delforge, director of the high-tech sector energy efficiency, energy and transportation program at the Natural Resources Defense Council, in a Thursday blog post. DOE estimates the new standards will save 87 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity over the next three decades, “which in turn will save consumers and businesses up to $3 billion on their electric bills,” said Delforge. “This represents an energy savings of 15 percent relative to the electricity consumption of these products in the absence of an efficiency standard.” The DOE standards don't “prescribe how manufacturers should make their products more efficient,” he said. They allow manufacturers “the flexibility to innovate and make even better products for consumers as we've seen time and time again from efficiency standards,” he said. “These results will appeal to all political persuasions, and is another demonstration of smart policies that harness American innovation to save consumers and businesses money.”