Fujitsu-Siemens is addressing the twin requirements for space saving and power efficiency with the latest addition to its Esprimo Q series of small form factor business PCs. The move comes as lobby group the Climate Savers Computing Initiative announced more plans to encourage energy efficiency in IT products.

The Esprimo Q5020, available immediately, is a compact desktop system that ships in a chassis little larger than a DVD drive. It uses up to 30 percent less power than a standard PC design, according to the firm, saving at least 90 kWh a year in electricity. The Q5020 also meets the more stringent requirements of the new Energy Star 4.0 rating scheme of the US government's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The new model has more processing power than its predecessor, offering all the features of a modern, powerful professional PC in a small, elegant design. It supports up to 4GB of RAM in two memory slots and is based on an Intel Core 2 Duo T7250 processor at 2GHz. Despite its small size, the system is optionally available with a CD-RW or DVD ±RW drive. The Esprimo Q5020 is available with Windows XP or Windows Vista Business and is priced from £409 + VAT.

The PC launch comes a week after the Climate Savers Computing Initiative said it has achieved over 100 members and expanded into Europe via an international sub-team.

Google green energy czar and Climate Savers Computing Initiative representative Bill Weihl argued that IT buyers are already changing their attitudes.

“I’ve seen some real change from users even though it’s hard for them to make a single procurement decision,” he said.

Climate Savers plans to introduce a catalogue in the autumn, listing energy-efficient products.