PC maker giant, Hewlett-Packard announced on Monday three business PCs configurable to meet the hardware standards of ENERGY STAR 4.0, the new, stringent energy-efficiency specification from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The PC maker’s new energy-efficient business desktop PCs use less power, which is better for the environment and helps customers reduce energy costs. It is also the first major PC manufacturer to offer “80 percent efficient” power supplies, a key component of the ENERGY STAR 4.0 regulations that go into effect on July 20, 2007.

The company said that its lab tests have found that configuring PCs with the optional 80 percent efficient power supplies along with the other ENERGY STAR 4.0 hardware requirements can reduce total system power consumption as much as 52 percent, translating into an average annual cost savings ranging from $6 to $58 per PC.

The company was also the first major PC manufacturer to ship an S3 power management-ready system, which saves energy by automatically switching the PC into a standby, low-power mode after a period of inactivity. Enabled by default on all HP business desktop PCs, S3 power management conserves up to 294 kWh per desktop PC annually.

According to HP testing, that yearly savings of energy is enough to power a 75-watt light bulb burning continuously over that same year.

“Customers using PCs configured to meet the ENERGY STAR 4.0 requirements can benefit from increased system reliability, reduced system maintenance costs, as well as decreased air conditioning costs — all due to less heat generation, which can also greatly extend the life of the system. These technologies also make it easier for federal agencies to comply with Executive Order 13123, which requires them to meet ENERGY STAR criteria to increase energy performance and environmental quality”, HP said.

The HP Compaq dc5700 and dc7700 business desktop PCs with the ENERGY STAR 4.0 hardware specifications are available now and feature Intel Core 2TM Duo processors, Microsoft Windows XP Pro, 80 GB hard drives, 1 GB of memory and DVD/CD-RW combo drives, starting at $899 and $959, respectively.

ENERGY STAR 4.0 configurations are also available for the HP Compaq dc5750 business desktop with AMD AthlonTM processors, Microsoft Windows XP Pro, 80 GB hard drives, 512 MB of memory and DVD/CD-RW combo drives, starting at $609.