The European Council yesterday laid down new regulations for implementing strict energy efficiency rules for government authorities EU-wide.

It said that under the new scheme, EU institutions and central member state bodies are now expected to use energy saving criteria, based on its Energy Star programme, when buying office equipment.

Energy commissioner Andris Piebalgs said in a statement that the mandatory rules would help "push manufacturers to put efficient equipment on the market while making good use of public money".

MEPs passed the new rules in July this year when it was agreed that certain green standards should become legally binding in public procurement.

The Energy Star programme is part of the EU's public sector strategy to improve the management of energy demand, help secure energy supply, and mitigate climate change.

Joining the green jamboree, UK tech trade body Intellect said yesterday that it will be hosting a manufacturing summit on 15 January to encourage the production of energy efficient consumer electronic goods.

It said that minister Joan Ruddock and a number of leading electronic giants would be present at the get together, though it didn't reveal any vendor names.

The decision to hold the meeting came about following discussions between government, retailers, the British Retail Consortium, and energy suppliers about how to make consumer electronic devices greener, said Intellect.

Meanwhile, non-profit firm Standard Performance Evaluation Corp (SPEC) last week released a benchmark dubbed SPECpower_ssj2008, which could help IT bosses compare the green credentials of different server vendors.

The tech industry, under the watchful eye of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Consortium for Energy Efficiency, needs to endorse it first though. ®