Your company decides to be more eco-friendly and use energy-efficient IT products, but how do you decide which products actually use less heat, cut energy bills, and reduce the company’s carbon footprint? I read an interesting article in eWeek titled, “The Green Seal of Approval” that touched on this issue.

There are many certification programs that will analyze the products for you and eWeek focused on the three most common certifications:

• Energy Star.

This is one of the most familiar environmental certifications and it is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy. Some of the products they rate are monitors, printers, scanners, desktop computers and notebooks. The products have to meet specific energy-efficiency standards, which include consuming less than a defined amount of power during use and entering into a low-power mode when not in use. The point is to save energy and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Find a product with the features that you need, and then look for an Energy Star model with those features.

• EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool).

This certification applies to desktop computers, notebooks, and monitors. EPEAT defines 51 criteria in eight areas. It is notable for covering an unusually wide range of issues: reduction of environmentally sensitive materials; materials selection; design for end of life; product longevity and life extension; end-of-life management; and packaging. Depending on how many of the certification’s criteria a product meets, it could receive one of three levels of ratings: Bronze, Silver, or Gold.

• ROHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances).

This is the European Union’s instruction for the restriction of the use of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. The products must meet the EU’s limits on levels of lead, cadmium, mercury, and other substances harmful to the environment. This does not mean that the products do not have any of these hazardous substances. There are exemptions for specific uses without alternatives and there are permissible limits allowed.

With the growing trend of eco-friendly products, it can be difficult to determine which IT products are actually energy-efficient. If you want to find the products that use less heat, cut energy bills, and reduce the company’s carbon footprint, look for IT products with these certifications.