Contributed Post from:

Frank Sabella, Dascom Sales

The world moves very fast and that is certainly evidenced by the new environmental standards being implemented into building projects. Being environmentally aware is nothing original, what is new is the amount of spaces being built or remodeled using the latest in “green” standards. The article that follows here addresses some of the questions we have been receiving, and the full article is available as an attachment:

Q: What are the latest in “Green” Standards for the AV World?

1. Energy Star Ratings

We now have some in-roads into the Energy Star program through Plasma, LCDs, and digital amplifiers, but more notably we have another standard, RoHs.

2. RoHS Compliance

Started in the UK, RoHs is a standard that restricts how things are made and limits the amount of hazardous materials that can be used in electronic products. The RoHS acronym’s formal definition is: “The restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment". The top four hazardous substances RoHS restricts are lead, mercury, cadmium and haxavalent chromium. This standard has not yet been officially adopted in America, but is something we have already benefitted from as most electronics manufacturers make equipment for both Europe and the United States.

Q: Why is it beneficial to buy AV equipment that is RoHS compliant or has an Energy Star rating?

1. Manufacturing that is up to green standards produces less waste.
The manufacturing process has been cleaned up to be compliant to standards, so we aren’t seeing as much industrial waste from AV products.

2. Getting LEED Certification from the Green Building Council on a new building will be easier if you have RoHS compliant equipment.
If you are doing a new build or remodel and you want The United States Green Building Council’s LEED certification, the RoHs compliant equipment is going to contribute to a successful rating.

3. The bottom line is that in the end, it’s not only less expensive to recycle the equipment, but is just better for the environment.
When the gear finally lives out its’ life and ends up in a landfill, less harmful chemicals means less expensive recycling and that has both financial and personal benefits to us all.

Q: What about energy efficiency? What can my site do to be more energy efficient?

The short answer is there are many products available to us today that are energy efficient. An LCD screen is slightly more energy efficient per square inch than a plasma. A digital amplifier is far more efficient than a conventional amp. The list goes on and on.

What can you do to be energy efficient?
Invest in a sequencing timer controlled power distribution system.
These add to the overall system cost but they will save you thousands in energy bills and unnecessary equipment replacement. I have done hundreds of site surveys and the one common denominator is that almost every rack I visit is left on constantly.

Q: What is Dascom doing to keep up on standards?

At Dascom, we know all of the RoHS products available and currently can do a 95.9% RoHS compliant system without making any sacrifices in system quality or functionality.
In addition, we continue to look at environment-friendly ways to create a more efficient and effective AV system for your application. We have some excellent options right now and newer things are on the way.

In conclusion, we will continue to update you on any changes, but for now we encourage you to call your Dascom Representative for more information, post your comments or questions at the forum, or visit the following Websites to learn more: