Whether you run a small blog or a million dollar online business, your website is an important part of your life. Most people consider websites virtual real estate with no notable impact on the physical world. However, this mentality is both damaging and destructive. Each website must be hosted on a physical machine. All which requires electricity and temperature control.
So hosting companies have large rooms containing many servers. These servers consume a considerable amount of power and heat up quickly. As well as and in addition to power costs, the process of preventing servers from overheating is expensive. You might be wondering how this affects you and what you can do about it. Green hosting may be able to provide some of these answers.
Cost
The expenses incurred by standard hosting companies are greater than that of green hosting companies. This concept is often overlooked. However if you don’t understand how this works, you will likely pay more than needed for your hosting. Running, maintaining, and cooling server rooms is an expensive task.
In fact, up to 25% of overhead incurred by hosting companies comes from these costs. All which are often passed to the customer. But in some cases, hosting companies might choose to cut expenses rather than raising their rates. This often translates to insufficient support staff and infrequent system upgrades, and both of these factors impact the quality and reliability of your website.
If you want a cost efficient and dependable hosting service, you might consider green hosting.
Choosing a hosting company that uses renewable energy does more than help the environment.
Because green energy is cheaper than the alternatives, green hosting companies can pass the savings to their customers. Yes and that’s without compromising the quality of their service. Many people still choose to use standard hosting companies out of fear of performance issues, but this is not a problem. Large companies around the world, such as Google and Amazon, are already using green hosting. As a result, they are cutting their costs without sacrificing website quality.
Environmental Concerns
With overwhelming evidence, it’s hard for anyone to deny the impact humanity has on the environment and global temperatures. If changes are not made, the results will likely be disastrous and irreversible. While it might be tempting to ignore the problem, doing so will only make it worse. The combined power consumed by major hosting companies is comparable to that of a small nation. The internet and the machines that run it have a significant impact on the environment and contribute to our carbon footprint. If we are to prevent further damage, it’s vital we consider all possibilities and possible solutions.
Green hosting relies on renewable energy, which significantly reduces environmental pollution. More companies are starting to realize this fact and are making the switch to environmentally friendly servers. But will enough companies take action before it’s too late? Only time will tell, but the fact that major names in the industry are utilizing green hosting is a positive step in the right direction. Google alone has a huge market share in the technology world, so their decision to go green unquestionably has a positive impact on the environment.
Facebook
Facebook is one of the several major companies spearheading the green technology movement, which will hopefully inspire others to do the same. In their efforts to reduce their carbon footprint and cut costs, they built an entire server room in the Arctic Circle. While this might not make much sense at first glance, it’s an ingenious idea. Rather than paying to cool these servers, they rely on the Arctic’s naturally cold temperatures to prevent their servers from overheating. This does much more than save them money on internal climate control. They are significantly contributing to the environment by consuming less power for temperature regulation.
Amazon
Amazon is another example of a major company that has gone green. They have made a firm commitment to using only renewable energy sources, but they have done something different. Unlike Facebook, Amazon makes green hosting available to their customers, which is a major step in protecting the environment and combating the effects of global warming. Now, anyone who wishes to protect the environment has access to green hosting, but sadly, few are taking advantage of it. However, this will likely change in the future. The demand for hosting services is on the rise, and more hosting companies will need to jump in to meet this growing demand, which offers green companies the perfect opportunity to promote their services.
Additional Options
While Amazon is one of the few major companies that offer green hosting, it is not the only one. You have likely never heard of them, but there are several small companies providing environmentally friendly hosting solutions, such as Digital Ocean. While not yet implemented, Microsoft is exploring the possibility of hosting servers from underwater pods, using the cool water as a natural heat sink.
As the number of companies offering green hosting increases, it’s vital to be vigilant, do your own research, and determine which one best meets your needs. Some companies are reluctant to make the switch to renewable energy because they don’t want to invest in new equipment. But as consumers become increasingly aware of green hosting and its benefits, more companies will feel the pressure to make the change.
As the demand for a solution to reduce and reverse the effects of our global footprint increases, the availability of green hosting companies will grow naturally. All successful businesses understand meeting the needs of their customers. As time progresses, the knowledge of the environmental factors of hosting solutions will become more prominent, which likely translates to increased consumer demand for dependable green hosting solutions.
Final Thoughts
There are many factors you must consider when choosing a hosting company, such as price, dependability, and customer support. But it’s also vital you consider the environmental impact of your decision. If every website used green hosting, our carbon footprint would be dramatically reduced.
Using renewable energy does more than protect the environment. It also saves you money. With all the benefits in mind, it’s hard to understand why more people haven’t made the switch. The answer likely has to do with a lack of awareness. Most people simply utilize the cheapest hosting company that comes to mind, and they pay little attention to how the hosting company operates, which is a vital mistake. However, with companies such as Facebook and Google paving the way toward the future. So other companies are likely to do the same. All which will provide consumers with cheaper hosting solutions that serve to protect and preserve the environment.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: https://hostingfacts.com/how-a-green-datacenter-affects-your-website/
Green Mountain in Stavanger, Norway
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaeokJECyIs&w=748&h=421%5D
Google in Hamina, Finland
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VChOEvKicQQ&w=748&h=421%5D
Facebook in Luleå, Sweden
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8w3_gcMw0I&w=748&h=421%5D
Microsoft Under the Sea
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2oJw1a_qEM&w=748&h=421%5D
