Green Web Hosting

With all of the different people using computers and the internet these days, the amount of electricity needed to power all of these laptops, desktops, servers, and other devices has grown exponentially. The good news is that there are steps being taken to reduce energy. Computers now go into sleep mode when not used for a set period of time, and companies are working to develop computers and computer equipment that use less power. One area that some companies are working on is what has been termed green web hosting. But is this eco-friendly hosting right for your company?

There are a number of different green web hosts out there. Some of the more popular ones are Green Web Hosting, AISO, and DreamHost. These companies use renewable energy sources to run their servers. They often have solar panels, wind turbines, and even water or geothermal energy sources for powering their offices and their servers. These three companies, among others, have been certified by various ecological agencies as running clean, renewable energy networks, so you can rest assured you really are helping the environment by using them.

These hosts also look for other ways to save the environment. Some encourage their employees to telecommute if they can. By working from home, they don’t create any CO2 emissions or use up any fuel driving to the office. Most use compact fluorescent bulbs in their lights and use power-saving equipment. Everything that can be done electronically is done so, cutting down on the amount of paper used. One host, Green Web Hosting, even plants a tree for every business that signs up for web hosting with them. They also provide a pretty nice discount to any business that has ecologically friendly goals and practices.

One of the biggest concerns with green hosting and hosting that runs off of renewable energy is reliability. Is this source of renewable energy going to provide enough power to run the servers 24/7? If not, you may lose business when the server is down. However, the good news is that this isn’t really a concern. Renewable energy is just as dependable and effective at running web hosting servers as conventional energy as long as the company is able to keep up with the energy demand. Green web hosts know just how important keeping their servers going is, and most have a backup power source ready to kick in.

Another concern is cost, but green web hosting costs are really no more than standard web hosts. The cost, of course, varies depending on how many functions and how much disk space and bandwidth you need. However, there’s no real extra cost of choosing a server that uses renewable energy than one that runs off of conventional power, so if you have the option and want to help protect the environment, go with a green web host. It won’t cost you anything more, and it will do a little bit to save the planet.