Contributed
The ThinkCenter A61e made by Lenovo.

Sabrina N. Gordon, Business Reporter

Innovative Corporate Solutions (ICS) has added a new line of energy-efficient personal computers or 'green PCs' to its store shelves.

ICS chief executive officer Christopher Reckord says the computers, the ThinkCenter A61e, were acquired from Lenovo, and are targeted at that segment of the market demanding environment-friendly electronics.

The ThinkCenter is made from parts that are largely recyclable, Reckord said, and it also uses less energy than a regular PC.

"The A61e users will save in electricity cost compared with older PCs as a result of its low consumption processors," he told Sunday Business.

A typical PC burns approxi-mately 154.69 watts per hour compared to a green PC, which burns 89 watts per hour, he added, representing energy savings of 65.69 watts.

For a typical PC, the energy charge would amount to $1,262.27 per hour at the rate of $8.16 per kilowatt hour charged by the Jamaica Public Service Company.

Pricing

The cost to operate the green PC in the same period is $726.24, reflecting savings of $536.

A company, assuming eight hours of usage daily, would save more than $4,200 per day on its energy costs.

The green PC is priced on ICS's shelves at US$616 (J$43,120) to US$882 (J$61,740) per unit, similar to the price of a regular computer.

The A61e brand represents the first of its kind on the market, according to Rohan Reynolds, marketing executive at SSP Aptec Limited.

"There are other energy-smart desktop computers on the market but they are not considered to be completely green machines as the A61e," said Reynolds.

At Aptec, the Acer brand desktop can be had for a low of $50,765 up to $67,000 he said.

Computer stores have been building out their inventory of energy-efficient gadgets in line with a local and international trend where consumers are demanding a more responsible electronics market that offers products which do not degrade the environment.

At the early January Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas, Nevada, in the United States, on show was a laptop made from corn-based material but reinforced with plastic components.

The ThinkCenter weighs about eight pounds, is made of 90 per cent reusable and recyclable materials - which means that the components can be melted down to be used again.

The ThinkCenter is also composed of a 45-watt battery power which is energy-light enough to enable the use of a solar panel as a source of power.

Its estimated carbon emission savings is 180 kilogrammes, said Reckord.

ICS also offers disposal services at a cost. Persons can take in their old computers, not just the Lenovo brand, to be disposed of.

sabrina.gordon@gleanerjm.com