NEC has introduced the first model in a new series of displays for business with a focus on image quality and environmental friendliness.

Available immediately, the NEC MultiSync E221W (PDF) is a wide-screen 22in LCD designed to meet the needs of home office and small-to-medium businesses, but is also an ideal entry-level model for corporate buyers, according to the firm.

One notable feature is an integrated Carbon Footprint meter to let users monitor the environmental impact of the device.

According to NEC, this indicates how much the monitor's power consumption might be reduced in order to cut carbon dioxide emissions resulting from running the display.

This can be achieved by switching to EcoMode, where the brightness of the display is limited to no greater than 60 per cent of its maximum, and power consumption falls from a typical 40W to 28W.

An Automatic Stand-by mode and Power-Off Timer also allow power consumption to be kept to a minimum.

NEC is also claiming environmental credentials from meeting Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool Silver certification, which covers factors such as reduction of hazardous materials, recycling, packaging and methods of production, as well as the energy consumption of the display itself.

In specification, the E221W has a native display resolution of 1680 x 1050 pixels with a contrast ratio of 1000:1, and horizontal and vertical viewing angles up to 176 degrees.

Other features of the display include a narrow bezel that makes it suitable for several E221W models to be positioned close together for multi-screen applications, and a Vesa-compatible mounting to enable it to be positioned on a pedestal or fixed to a wall bracket.

The MultiSync E221W has an analogue 15-pin video and DVI-D digital video inputs and costs £189 + VAT.