Photocopiers: Leading the way for energy efficiency in the office
The WEEE directive has nothing to do with pushing your kid on a swing. WEEE stands for Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment. The WEEE directive became law in Europe on the 13th of February 2003 and was aimed at decreasing the problem of electrical and electronic equipment waste. This directive promotes the recycling and reuse of electronic and electrical equipment. Producers were made responsible for treating, recycling, or taking back the equipment.
With the introduction of environmentally friendly and energy efficient photocopiers an increase in energy saving and waste reduction has taken place in the workplace. Photocopiers play a big role in helping with the problem of global warming and are a significant part of the WEEE directive. Unlike before, these old photocopiers can no longer be laid to waste in the local landfill.
Photocopiers are the most common item when it comes to office equipment. Since they are only used when needed and not a constantly used machine, in terms of paper use, energy, and consequentially greenhouse gas emissions, they can pose a significant price to pay to the environment.
By the use of powering down the photocopier with an “energy saving” mode in the new energy efficient models, the energy needed to support the machine can be reduced my more than 60 percent. A thin fixing film instead of a quick heating roller and a ceramic heating element rather than a halogen heater are part of the new environmentally friendly photocopier’s “on demand” fusing system. This will make it more energy efficient as well as provide lower heat requirements. While an older photocopier could take over a minute to have enough energy to be able to function, these new models go from sleep mode to fully operational in under ten seconds.
When put together with the growing availability of double sided copying and printing, the new photocopier technology will be one of the leaders in energy efficiency going forward. The world of office equipment will never be the same, and for once this is something positive.