Office equipment is the fastest growing electrical load element in U.S. commercial buildings, and is expected to continue to grow rapidly in the next decade. Computers, as a group, use the most energy of all office equipment.
Copiers are the largest single energy user in an office setting.
One-third less energy is required to make a sheet of recycled paper than for virgin paper. Equipment Left On. Much of the energy used by office equipment occurs when it is idle. Copiers and thermal printers must maintain temperature levels to be ready for instant response, consuming a great deal of energy even when idling. Both of these can result in unnecessary energy use, either through wasting excessive energy while idle, or through use that exceeds design specifications.