The California Energy Commission has just adopted the nation’s first energy efficiency standards for computers and monitors. The standards, which took over four years to develop, will save Californians an estimated $373 million per year in electricity after older, inefficient models are fully retired--that's enough electricity to power all the homes in San Francisco and San Luis Obispo counties combined. The CEC's new guidelines--which cover laptops, desktops, work stations, and small servers--will reduce statewide computer energy consumption by about 30 percent. And because California is such a large market, the move could push product makers to sell products that meet California's requirements across the country, rather than develop separate California and non-California product lines. If that happens, the national energy savings would be equivalent to taking seven coal-burning power plants offline, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. The California Energy Commission has just adopted the nation’s first energy efficiency standards for computers and monitors. The standards, which took over four years to develop, will save Californians an estimated $373 million per year in electricity after older, inefficient models are fully retired--that's enough electricity to power all the homes in San Francisco and San Luis Obispo counties combined. The CEC's new guidelines--which cover laptops, desktops, work stations, and small servers--will reduce statewide computer energy consumption by about 30 percent. And because California is such a large market, the move could push product makers to sell products that meet California's requirements across the country, rather than develop separate California and non-California product lines. If that happens, the national energy savings would be equivalent to taking seven coal-burning power plants offline, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.