Green Wombat

Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) today began selling a series of desktop business computers designed to meet strict new federal energy-efficiency standards for PCs that go into effect in July. Called Energy Star 4.0, the standards are the first update to computer energy efficiency requirements since 2000. Hewlett-Packard says its HP Compaq dc5700, dc5750 and dc7700 can be configured to use 52 percent less electricity than standard desktops, saving between $6 and $58 in power costs annually per computer. That means the computers  run cooler and need less air conditioning. Electric utility companies like PG&E (PCG), Xcel Energy (XEL) and Southern California Edison (EIX) have been pushing Dell (DELL), HP and other computer makers to improve the energy efficiency of  PC power supplies to lower the demand on the grid.