The California Energy Commission adopted unprecedented energy efficiency standards for battery chargers last week, which could help reduce energy costs at UCLA.
The standards aim to reduce energy waste from current chargers by reducing the power consumed when the battery is charging, disconnected and fully charged, according to a report on the new standards by the California Energy Commission.
The California Energy Commission estimates the new energy efficiency standards will decrease the amount of energy wasted by battery chargers by 41 percent and reduce the total amount of energy used by 27 percent, which is enough energy to power 350,000 homes for a year, according to a report released by the commission.
UCLA Sustainability Coordinator Nurit Katz is responsible for past projects that involve increasing the efficiency of heating, ventilation and lighting at UCLA.
She said the measures have saved the school $4.5 million in energy costs per year.
Katz said the new battery regulations will help reduce the total energy consumed at UCLA by students and staff. She said UCLA would save more money in energy costs in the long run in comparison to the additional up-front costs of the newer energy-efficient chargers.
For a new laptop, the cost of a charger that adheres to the new standards is estimated to yield an 18-to-1 return in cost-savings, the report from the California Energy Commission stated.
“Conservation and efficiency may not be as flashy as renewable forms of energy, but they can provide the biggest gains in energy savings,” Katz said.
The biggest dilemma that consumers will have with these new energy standards is paying more up front for long-term energy savings, she said.
Isabella Hanulik, a first-year life science student, said she would pay more for an energy-efficient laptop charger if the net savings in the long run outweigh the cost.
The new standards will also affect researchers who intend to market their products.
Rajit Gadh, director of the UCLA Smart Grid Energy Research Center, said he will have to devote additional time researching how the new standards will affect network communication for his research on networks of batteries, solar cells and other appliances.
“The consumer and industrial electronics community will need to take a hard look at optimization (of energy efficiency) to become energy-efficient, which has not been a priority in the past,” Gadh said.
The new energy standards will expand the market for companies and employees specializing in energy optimization, Gadh said.
While chargers are not required to adhere to the new regulations immediately, new consumer chargers will need to follow the standards by February 2013. Industrial chargers will be required to comply by January 2014.