At the beginning of 2008 power supply efficiency organisation 80PLUS revised their certification program to include three new standards on top of the original 80PLUS (80%+) certification. The Gold, Silver and Bronze levels introduced new efficiency targets for manufacturers to meet in an effort to reduce global energy consumption in PC's and other devices. While none of these new certifications were by any means mandatory, the PSU market is immensely competitive, and having a power supply certified to one of these new standards would be a sure-fire way to attract the energy conscious consumer.



Link: Overclock3D