The SMART Choice – SMART Boards
The increased use of digital tools and platforms in education mirrors that of our personal and working lives. The recent necessity for remote learning has demonstrated how digital learning has helped to increase access to education and knowledge for most students while increasing their tech capabilities for success now and in the future.

The management and selection of these resources is largely the responsibility of government education authorities, school executives and managers, ICT teams and technical support staff.

Budgets clearly influence educational organisations abilities to implement their digital strategies however, price is not the only defining factor.

Decision makers also need to consider the ongoing costs of their purchases, the product’s impact on the environment and alignment with the social responsibility priorities of the organisation.

An example of this can be seen in the switch over in the last 5-10 years from interactive projectors to interactive whiteboards.

While the initial cost of a projector may be less, the reasons why interactive whiteboards are a wiser investment include:

  • Reduced energy costs
  • Low-cost maintenance (no expensive bulb replacements, downtime or maintenance fees)
  • No filters to clean
  • Longer lifespan
  • Silent operation (no fans)
  • Higher quality UHD image that doesn’t degrade over time
  • Intuitive user interface with adaptable functionality and compatibility with third-party hardware/software

This infographic from SMART Boards illustrates the ongoing costs and key factors that drove this change that has swept across the world.

 

 

Now that interactive displays have replaced many projectors in the classroom

The current interactive panels have quite different energy ratings.

There is another wave of change that is occurring. The massive difference in power that these new interactive panels consume can have a significant impact on your energy bills

How Much Energy is your SMART Board using

How To Choose An Energy-Efficient Interactive Whiteboard?

Interactive whiteboards are now considered standard equipment in the modern classroom whether it be in an early learning environment, school or university.

When we are shopping for a new washing machine or fridge at home, we are all well aware that the price doesn’t tell the whole story. We are savvy and know that we can save a considerable amount of money over time by reviewing the running cost. Equipment with a less expensive purchase price can end up costing far more in energy costs over the lifetime of the product.

When reviewing the suitability of an interactive whiteboard consider

  • How much energy do they use?
  • Compare the energy use amounts of products of a similar size?
  • Investigate which products include energy saving features?
  • What is the expected lifespan of the board?

 

In our next post, we will unpack SMART’s Interactive Display Buyer’s Guide. We’ll look at interactive displays, how they work in different learning environments, and what to look for in a manufacturer.

There will also be an evaluation checklist, which may help you choose the right technology to suit your needs.

Energy usage of SMART Boards

The graph above demonstrates the typical power consumption of 4 of the most popular interactive whiteboard brands.

Most manufacturers supply this key information for each model so it’s relatively easy to compare. This link contains a great example of the specification for one of the leading education whiteboards.

As an example when you multiply this power usage over 20 classrooms over 6 hours a day by 5 days a week over 40 weeks (24,000 hours), it really adds up

20 classrooms of Brand C in the graph at 400 watts would equate to 9,600 K/W per annum.
If you selected the SMART MX275-V2 then you would consume only 3,600 K/W … less than half

This ongoing expense cannot be underestimated

Visionext loves being a SMART Gold Partner and we are proud to support
an organisation that is actively reducing its impact on the planet

Want to know more?

Q
example 02 9999 9999
Checkbox *
Contact us
  • Checkbox *
  • If you would like to speak to someone as soon as possible please call 1300 13 92 92
    Otherwise complete the form below and we will be happy to answer your request

    example 02 9999 9999
    Checkbox *

     

    We welcome your enquiries, comments and questions.
    VISIONEXT Pty Ltd
    Sydney | Melbourne | Brisbane | Darwin