Rice University
OP-12: Electronics Purchasing

Part 1 

Institution has an institution-wide stated preference to purchase computers and/or other electronic products that are EPEAT registered or meet similar multi-criteria sustainability standards for electronic products. This can take the form of purchasing policies, guidelines, or directives. 

Policies and directives adopted by entities of which the institution is part (e.g. government or university system) may count for this credit as long as the policies apply to and are followed by the institution. 

Part 2 

Institution purchases EPEAT registered products for desktop and notebook/laptop computers, displays, thin clients, televisions and imaging equipment. 

This credit does not include servers, mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones, or specialized equipment for which no EPEAT certified products are available. 

This credit applies to all institutions. 

Each part is scored independently. 

Part 1 

Institutions earn the maximum of 0.25 points available for Part 1 of this credit for having an institution-wide stated preference to purchase EPEAT registered electronic products. Partial points are not available. 

Part 2 

Institutions earn the maximum of 0.75 points available for Part 2 of this credit for purchasing exclusively EPEAT Gold computers, televisions and imaging equipment. Incremental points are awarded based on the percentage of purchased products that are EPEAT registered at each level. For example, an institution that purchased 50 percent EPEAT Gold and 50 percent non-certified products would earn 0.375 points (half of the points available for Part 2). 

See scoring table and example in the STARS Technical Manual.

Timeframe

Part 1 

Report on current policies, directives, or guidelines. 

Part 2 

Report the most recent data available. 

Sampling and Data Standards

Part 1 

Report on purchasing policies, directives, or guidelines that apply to the entire institution. 

Part 2 

Institutions may track purchases over a one-year time period or take a representative sample to determine the EPEAT level of electronic equipment purchases. When using a sample, institutions should strive to ensure that the sample recognizes seasonal and other variations that influence purchasing behavior.