Green Initiatives

On a global scale, corporations are recognizing that environmental responsibility is changing from an opt-in trend to a compelling business practice. At Extron, we know that running an environmentally responsible company means taking a broad view of all aspects of our business to gain perspective on the net impact on the environment, the business itself, and our customers. Over the last several years, we’ve built a multidisciplinary environmental policy that includes adhering to strict manufacturing standards including prudent material use, delivering energy efficient products, and providing network-connected monitoring and management tools for long-term energy conservation.

Extron has put substantial resources into developing products and technologies that save energy. Some of the energy-saving products include the first ENERGY STAR®* qualified power amplifiers in the pro A/V industry; efficient, right-sized integrated Mini Power Amplifiers; and a range of high performance matrix switchers that consume half the energy of similar models from other manufacturers. In addition, Extron has developed tools, such as our free GlobalViewer Web application that works in conjunction with our IP Link Ethernet control technology for energy-wise management, monitoring, and control of Extron and third-party equipment.

Resposible Growth from the Ground Up: Manufacturing Practices and Compliance

Extron strives to meet and exceed all applicable environmental standards. We embarked on a multi-year project to redesign our entire product line and our manufacturing operations to comply with the European Union issued Directive 2002/95/EC regarding the Restriction of the use of certain Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS) and Directive 2002/96/EC on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). As part of our compliance with RoHS, Extron maintains a lead-free manufacturing environment.

New Energy Star ® Amplifiers

Extron recently introduced the XTRA™ Series audio Power Amplifiers. These are the first commercial power amplifiers to be ENERGY STAR qualified. The XTRA Series are professional-grade 200 watt rms power amplifiers, unmatched in efficiency, with extremely low power consumption and low heat generation. The XPA 1002 and XPA 2001 consume just 10 watts when idle and less than 1 watt in standby mode. These enter into standby after one hour of inactivity, or when the standby port is triggered. Since the XTRA Series amplifiers draw very little power in standby mode, operating costs can be greatly reduced in many A/V systems where the amplifiers are left on around the clock. See sidebar below - Energy Saving Features in XTRA Amplifiers.

Energy Saving Features in XTRA Amplifiers

Walk into any equipment room for a university auditorium, training facility, or for a corporate meeting room at a hotel or conference center, and you will likely see racks of audio amplifiers and other A/V equipment powered on and ready to go. What if there was a way to maintain that readiness state yet reduce the amount of energy used until the equipment was actually needed, and operational costs could be significantly reduced? The solution: a “standby mode” which is a key requirement for earning the ENERGY STAR. In order to better understand how these power-saving modes work, let's look at each of them individually.

Idle Mode
In idle mode, the XTRA Series is powered on, but there is no signal applied to the inputs. The amplifier is in a ready-state, waiting for an audio signal. In Idle mode, the amplifier draws less than 10 watts of power.

Standby Mode
After one hour of inactivity where no signal is applied to the inputs, the XTRA Series automatically enters standby mode. In standby mode, the amplifier is still powered on, but only the circuits essential to detecting audio signals are being powered. In standby mode, the XTRA Series draws less than one watt of power. Idle mode can also be triggered manually by contact closure remote control.

The Numbers Speak for Themselves

To illustrate the dramatic savings the XTRA Series offers in annual kilowatt usage versus conventional amplifiers, let’s look at a typical classroom or boardroom environment. Let's say in this example, amplifiers in these applications are under 1/8th power for 40 hours per week or 2,085 hours per year and quiescent the remainder of the time. Under these conditions, a conventional amplifier will draw 345 kW-hours per year, and an XTRA Series amplifier will draw only 55 kW-hours per year. So, in this scenario, conventional amplifiers use over 500% more energy than XTRA Series amplifiers. It's clear that switching from a conventional amplifier to an XTRA Series amplifier with idle and standby modes can help you achieve your energy saving goals without compromising performance or quality.

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ENERGY STAR was created in 1992 as an international standard for energy efficient consumer products. In order for a product to become ENERGY STAR qualified, it must meet or exceed a published requirement for energy usage in full operation and in standby mode. According to the EPA, standby mode is defined as when “the product is connected to the power source, is possibly

producing status information or time readout, is waiting to be switched to the active mode, and produces/records no video or audio signal.” Since there are no established criteria for professional or commercial grade A/V products, our XTRA Series amplifiers earned the ENERGY STAR under the applicable consumer standard that requires using one watt or less in standby mode. In addition, XTRA Series amplifiers help meet green building requirements for low power consumption and reduced operating costs.

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design - LEED Rating System

The LEED rating system is designed and managed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council - USGBC. The USGBC offers a certification process for buildings and homes that qualify as high performance in terms of conservation of materials and energy usage. The overarching goal of the rating system is reduced environmental and human impact as well as sustainability. ENERGY STAR qualified products count towards LEED credits in the Energy & Atmosphere category under the “Optimize Energy Performance” Credit. One of four certification levels is awarded at the time of construction to indicate how many points the building has earned. Due to the popularity of A/V products in new construction projects, there is no doubt that these systems can play a role in an the finished project's ability to earn points towards a LEED certification level. Visit www.usgbc.org/LEED for more details.

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