Bush orders agencies to buy energy-efficient products

President Bush on Tuesday signed an executive order requiring federal agencies to purchase energy-efficient appliances--including computer equipment, cell phones and copy machines--that meet the one-watt standard in standby or "sleep" mode.

Standby power enables devices to turn on quickly or maintain memory.

The order is part of Bush's efforts to make the government more energy efficient.

"One of the ways that our nation wastes energy is through what they call vampire devices," Bush said in announcing the order. "These will be a battery charger, cell phone chargers, computer systems that we really think [are] not using energy when plugged in but, in fact, are. And so we've set what we call a one-watt standard throughout the federal government, that we expect our agencies to be ridding themselves of the vampires and using energy conservation devices."

Meanwhile, high-tech companies have joined with other business groups to fight any legislative requirement that they produce equipment that meets the one-watt standard, as is currently stated in a broad energy bill to be considered in the House.