First Computer Power Supply Meets Tough 80 Plus Requirements for Energy Efficiency.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Seasonic Meets the 80 Plus Challenge, Cutting Computer Energy Use by 20 Percent and Qualifying for First-Ever Rebates from Electric Utilities

The 80 Plus program (www.80plus.org) is pleased to announce that the first desktop computer power supply has passed the world's toughest energy efficiency specification. Seasonic's model SS-400HT has just been certified 80 Plus-compliant -- meaning that it is at least 80 percent efficient across a range of loads (20 percent, 50 percent and 100 percent), and that it has a true power factor of at least 0.9.

Electric utilities and energy efficiency programs in eight U.S. states have joined the 80 Plus program to help offset the extra cost of making desktop computers and desktop-derived servers more energy efficient. The utilities save electricity for less than the cost of generating it, and computer purchasers get more efficient machines for little or no extra cost compared to a computer with a conventional power supply. The 80 Plus program offers manufacturers of desktop computers and desktop-derived servers $5 and $10 incentives respectively for every unit containing a qualifying power supply that is sold in participating sponsors' service territories.

The significance of Seasonic's power supply gaining 80 Plus certification is that it proves the technology exists to achieve such high efficiencies today. Nearly all desktop computers and desktop-derived servers can take advantage of more efficient drop-in power supplies to cut energy consumption 15 percent to 25 percent without costly, time-consuming redesigns of the entire computer.

"When we started the 80 Plus program last year, we knew we had set the bar for energy efficiency high," said Chris Calwell, Ecos Consulting's director of policy and research and technical advisor for the 80 Plus program. "The market has been racing to respond. Seasonic got there first, and we congratulate them for this outstanding achievement."

"We are delighted that the Seasonic SS-400HT ATX12V v2.0 is the first power supply in the world to be certified 80 Plus compliant," said Vincent Chang, product manager at Seasonic. "The 80 Plus certification test is very demanding, particularly the 80 percent efficiency at 20 percent load requirement. For a 400-watt power supply unit, this is only 80 watts. High efficiency at such low power is difficult to reach, so this is an achievement our engineers can be especially proud of."

"The 80 Plus certification validates Seasonic's long-term focus on high efficiency as a primary goal for power supplies," added Chang. "It is particularly gratifying that the first recipient of 80 Plus certification is a model based on a five-year-old Seasonic circuit design."

All desktop computers and low-end servers contain power supplies that convert high-voltage alternating current (AC) to low-voltage direct current (DC) for use by the microprocessor, hard drive and other electronic components. Typical current desktop computer power supplies waste about 30 percent to 45 percent of all the electricity that passes through them, consuming about 125 to 150 kWh/year by themselves. Desktop-derived servers generally run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with no sleep modes or power management, so energy savings per unit can be significantly higher than desktop computers. These power supplies consume about 450 to 720 kWh/year (similar energy consumption of a side by side refrigerator), so each one represents a savings opportunity of about 300 kWh/year. In office buildings, much of this usage occurs on or near the commercial peak, increasing demand charges and the need for additional electricity generating capacity.

"As corporations and governments modify their purchasing specs to cut energy bills, the manufacturers of computers and power supplies will be hearing an increasingly familiar refrain: 'Can you meet 80 Plus?'" said Calwell.

Power factor correction is also very important to utilities and large commercial customers. It reduces the cost of providing electrical service and helps to minimize interference and losses in the wiring within commercial buildings.

About Seasonic

Sea Sonic Electronics Co., Ltd. has maintained a continuous focus on R&D and the production of quality power conversion products since 1975. The company is headquartered in Taipei, with a production facility in Guangdong, China, and a U.S. branch in California. Over the past decades, Sea Sonic Electronics has provided timely and professional solutions to meet many of the IT industry's requirements. Sea Sonic Electronics successfully entered the telecommunication and networking power conversion market in the year 2000. At the same time, manufacturing facilities were expanded to provide JIT global logistics service to meet increased business demand. Sea Sonic has taken a leadership role to develop green & silent power supplies with higher efficiency and higher power output. Media can contact Sea Sonic's public relations department at [e-mail]. For more information on the company, visit www.seasonic.com or www.seasonicusa.com.

About the 80 Plus Program

The 80 Plus program was designed and is administered by Ecos Consulting (www.ecosconsulting.com), an energy efficiency firm that leverages the power of the market to accelerate sales of energy-efficient technologies. For more information about the utilities and other organizations sponsoring 80 Plus, visit www.80plus.org.