UK computer manufacturer Akhter has launched a range of all-in-one desktop systems, aimed primarily at the business and education market, which it says can consume just 55 Watts, up to a third that of older PCs, whilst using Intel Core 2 Duo processors clocked at 3GHz.

According to Akhter, the new systems, branded LoCO2 PC, comply with the US Energy Star 4.0 benchmark, a joint program set up by the US Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy to standardise energy-efficient products and practices.

"Everyone wants to claim they care about the environment and nobody wants to be seen to be wasting power," said Akhter's marketing manager Geoff Pick. "Our systems can save businesses significant amounts of money."

There are seven models in Akhter's LoCO2 range, from the E1400, running Intel Celeron Dual Core Conroe processors at 2GHz and costing £539 + VAT, to the high-end E8400, running Intel Core 2 Duo Wolfdale processors at 3.0GHz and costing £630 + VAT.

"In a typical office situation, put a LoCO2 in to replace a desktop PC or a Tower and you may save £100 a year per PC. If your office still uses CRT displays, you could save a lot more in a worse-case scenario if they're left on 24 x 7," added Pick.

Pick also pointed out that there were some firms targeting the education market who had Energy Star 4.0-rated systems, but were using processors more energy-efficient than those used in Akhter's new systems, like Intel's Atom. " Some firms are touting Energy Star 4.0 compliance using processors running under 2.0GHz, whilst we've achieved it with 3.0GHz chips."

Pick also gave details on measurements the firm had made on the energy efficiency of Microsoft's Windows operating systems. "Strangely enough, on the lower-end models using relatively older Intel technology, Windows XP appears to be more energy-efficient, whilst on high-end models using newer Intel technology, Vista appears to be more efficient," said Pick.