According to the Forsa opinion research institute, German consumers are paying more and more attention to energy consumption when they buy high-tech devices. For 41% of Germans economical energy consumption is an important factor in the choice of computers, monitors, printers and other high-tech products. Thus, energy consumption is almost as important as the technical performance data of these devices.
The most important purchase criteria, however, is user friendliness, followed by service and guarantee characteristics.
The study in question was conducted by order of BITKOM, the German Association for Information Management, Telecommunications and New Media. “Since the beginning of the climate debate we have been noticing a change of mind in consumers: while in the past technical performance and price were the most important purchase criteria, consumers nowadays attach much more importance to energy efficiency”, says Martin Jetter who is member of the BITKOM board of managing directors.
The first energy saving devices which were available 15 years ago were mostly ignored by consumers. An increased environmental awareness and rising energy costs have in the meantime changed this situation. Presenting two energy efficient offices on the CeBIT fair, BITKOM demonstrated how effective an argument energy saving characteristics are: one of these offices was equipped with high-tech devices produced in the year 2003 and the other with state-of-the-art technology. In both offices the same work processes such as mailing, scanning or the printing of brochures were carried out simultaneously. Energy consumption and therefore CO2 emission and energy costs decreased by 25% in the more modern office. Extrapolating this saving to an one year period, savings accumulate to about 130 Euros. Now it is important for producers and merchants to react quickly and appropriately to this new trend. 