The
fax machine may, like the Spice Girls, have peaked in 1997, but its exodus from offices is surprisingly slow. Perhaps it still lurks in your home office, saved only by its ability to reproduce a signature (unlike email). What you may not know is that fax machines are right up there with copiers as some of the
most energy-intensive office appliances because they're often left on all day,
according to Energy Star. Together with other home appliances, fax machines contribute about 20 percent of the average household's electricity bills. But turning them off every night probably sounds about as fun as faxing
War and Peace page by page. Compromise by ensuring your fax machine is set to enter a low-power mode after 15 minutes or less.
Energy Star fax machines sleep after only 5 minutes of inactivity and
must use under 15 watts while snoozing. They use less electricity than standard equipment even without the use of power management. However, using low-power modes ensure that you're saving the full amount of energy that Energy Star equipment was designed to save. These features don't affect performance or connectivity and are often set by default, but you can benefit even more by lowering the inactivity time.
Regardless of whether your fax machine bears the blue Energy Star sticker, you can save energy and money by using power management—plus, it helps office equipment last longer. This, combined with lower electricity consumption, reduces environmental impact.
1. Consult the manual for your fax machine to learn about available power management features and considerations for using them.
2. Configure the inactivity settings, lowering the standby time to 15 minutes or less.
3. Use the fax machine normally and adjust the settings as needed.
Email or fax from your computer. If possible, email a document instead of faxing it. Or, to save paper and energy, you may be able to fax a document from your computer. In Microsoft Office 2003 products, click File, then click Send To, and then click Recipient Using Internet Fax Service. In later versions of Microsoft Word, click File and then click Print. You may see the option to fax (or Print to Fax) instead of using your default printer. Enter the recipient's number, and voila!
Forgo the cover sheet. Another way to save energy and paper in one fell swoop: Write the recipient's name at the top of your first page, or use a sticky note instead of an additional cover sheet.
Consider using a power strip to completely
cut power to your fax machine and other home office equipment when you aren't using it. It's easier than unplugging it, and you can save even more energy.
Choose Energy Star electronics. They must meet EPA requirements for energy efficiency, including wattage consumed while they sleep.