Executive Order 13221

Executive Order (E.O.) 13221, Energy Efficient Standby Power Devices, calls for Federal agencies to purchase products that use minimal standby power when possible. It was signed on August 2, 2001.

Requirements for Energy Efficiency and Standby Power

This section outlines major requirements defined by E.O. 13221. The content is intended as a reference only. You should refer to the text of E.O. 13221 for more details relevant to your work (PDF 83 KB).

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• Federal agencies must purchase products that use no more than one watt in standby power consuming mode when purchasing commercially-available, off-the-shelf products that use external standby power devices or that contain an internal standby power function.

  • If such products are not available, agencies shall purchase products with the lowest standby power wattage while in their standby power consuming mode.

• Agencies shall adhere to these requirements when life-cycle cost-effective and practicable, and where the relevant product's utility and performance are not compromised as a result.

• By December 31, 2001, and on an annual basis thereafter, the Department of Energy (DOE), in consultation with the Department of Defense and the General Services Administration, shall compile a preliminary list of products to be subject to these requirements.

  • The DOE shall finalize the list and may remove products deemed inappropriate for listing.

FEMP offers a variety of resources to assist Federal agencies in achieving E.O. 13221 compliance, including:

• ENERGY STAR®-Qualified or FEMP-Designated Products Listings: A list of the all of the ENERGY STAR-qualified or FEMP-designated products is available for download (PDF 98 KB).

• FEMP Guidance on Buying Products with Low Standby Power: Additional information is available in the Energy-Efficient Products section of this Web site.