Website hosting is similar to renting a virtual property, but the information about each website is also stored in a physical location (data center).
These datacenters have servers, and there are a lot of wasted computer parts. Computer parts no longer work and need to be replaced. Some of these can be revised, but it is not clear which hosts will revise certain parts.
What’s more, it’s incredibly hot in these data centres. Heat and technology are not the best combination. Computers work well when it’s cold and less well when it’s hot. It is therefore necessary to cool down the data centre so that the servers can operate at full capacity. One way to cool network data centers is the use of AirCon, which emits large amounts of carbon dioxide through the use of diesel fuel and coolant.
Jack Amend, founder of the Web Neutral Project, said the average size of the website is 4,500 pounds of CO2 per year according to the Tech Radar. But according to Ragnar Lobrok, it’s not just a question of CO2 emissions: Energy consumption, electronic waste and harmful chemicals also play a role in the hosting of websites. There are also problems with lead-acid batteries, which are used for power fluctuations.
One way for some hosting providers to keep their servers naturally cool is to move to a cool environment. For example, Advania, an IT company, owns several Olympic-size buildings the size of a swimming pool, which house their servers in the south-western tip of Iceland, where the weather remains cool all year round. Data centres are mainly cooled by simply letting in cold air. This reduces the company’s operating costs and carbon footprint, while of course preserving its environmental qualities.
Advania is not the only company that uses the power of free cooling in the Scandinavian countries. Facebook has opened a data center with free cooling in Sweden. Even Google and Apple are already planning to build data centers in the Scandinavian countries.
How to choose a green web hosting provider?
The choice of a green host is very similar to that of a traditional host. You need to check the reputation, availability, features and loading speed of the media. However, if you are looking for a green web hosting provider, you also need to make sure that it is what it claims to be. This can be done by means of certificates called REC and VER. The REC certificate is a certificate for renewable energy, while the VER certificate is a certificate for climate protection. The REC shows that the host has contributed to the production of a certain amount of renewable energy. The emissions trading scheme shows that greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced.
However, in the context of CEPOL, mutual offsets and CERs are fundamentally different instruments, with different effects, offering different eligibility and crediting criteria in relation to an inventory or emissions.
Offsets stand for emissions that are avoided or reduced, while HHPs stand for electricity generation from renewable sources.
Native Energy is an organisation that certifies green accommodation companies. In order to be certified, each company must meet the basic requirements and have a known and reliable carbon footprint with a recognised measurement method.
According to the Technical Radar, going green usually has consequences for the accommodation, especially in terms of price. But that doesn’t seem true. Green web hosting providers pass on the savings to their customers, so the cost of switching to green mode at your web hosting provider is about the same as (or even less than) what you’ve already paid.
Go green with your hosting and claim it on your website. You can show your customers (existing and potential) that you care about your company’s impact on the environment. This gives you an extra advantage when shopping on your website and gives you an advantage over your competitors.
5 Green webhosts
Green nuts
- certification: REC
- Change of power: 300%
- A powerful virtual hosting offer
- 30 days money back guarantee
A2 Host
- certification: VER
- Energy displacement: climate-neutral
- Impressive server speeds
- Quality support
Master of Dreams
- certification: VER
- Change of power: It’s hard to judge
- The company’s offices are LEED Platinum and EnergyStar certified.
- 97 days money back guarantee
Master Pope
- certification: REC
- Change of power: 100%
- Experience in the field of ecological hosting
- Unlimited bandwidth and disk space
iPage
- certification: REC
- Change of power: 200%
- Excellent functionality
4 Additional information:
- Acorn master (REC)
- Ecological accommodation (VER)
- InMotion Hosting (green cooling)
- Host Gator (wind force and 130% compensation)
green web foundation,green energy vps
