THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

GORE JOINS INDUSTRY LEADERS TO UNVEIL ENERGY-EFFICIENT COMPUTERS Calls New Computers Breakthrough in Environmental Technologies

NEW ENERGY STAR COMPUTERS WILL SAVE CONSUMERS BILLIONS

WASHINGTON -- Vice President Al Gore today (6/17) joined industry leaders to unveil the first ever Energy Star computers now headed for the market that conserve energy, reduce pollution, help American computer manufacturers and save billions of dollars.

"The creation of energy-efficient computers for the marketplace is a landmark in the development of environmental technologies. They show how economic development and environmental protection go hand-in-hand. U.S. manufacturers and workers profit from creating the first ever energy-efficient computers in the market, and the environment benefits because increasing energy-efficiency decreases pollution," the Vice President said.

The computers unveiled Thursday qualify for the Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star Computers Program and can be identified with an associated logo -- an indicator of efficiency in desktop computers, monitors, and printers. The program is a voluntary partnership started by the Environmental Protection Agency between industry and government leaders to introduce into the market the first energy-efficient computers.

The computers unveiled today can enter a low-power stand-by state when they are inactive, thereby conserving energy and saving money in the process.

"On Earth Day President Clinton signed an executive order directing the federal government -- the largest computer buyer in the world -- to purchase only Energy Star computers and printers. This Administration is putting its money where its mouth is. We're leading by example in developing markets for environmentally friendly technologies.

"Our efforts are expected to save taxpayers about $40 million a year, and consumers as much as $2 billion a year by the year 2000," the Vice President said.

Manufacturers have estimated that Energy Star products will not cost consumers any more than comparable, less-efficient computers. And, incorporating energy-efficiency into computer design will not sacrifice equipment performance.

The computers could save enough electricity each year to power Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, cut electricity bills by $2 billion, and reduce carbon dioxide pollution equivalent to emissions from 5 million cars.

Electricity generation, by which computers are powered, accounts for 35 percent of all U.S. emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, and for the majority of emissions of sulfur dioxide as well as nitrogen oxides.

##