What Is Green Web Hosting?

Many of us are making increasing efforts to “go green”, and we know what that means for us at home - more recycling, reduce water and energy wastage, and perhaps drive less, for example.

However, what exactly is meant by “green hosting”?  How can web hosts be eco-friendly? The idea of green hosting has really taken off in the last few years, so it is important that companies interested in using a hosting company that claims to be green really understand what the hosting company does in reality to justify that claim.

Well, a normal hosting company will require a lot of energy in the form of electricity to power its services.  Its hosting and network equipment such as web servers, cooling mechanisms, fire alarms, and extinguishing networks and many other types of essential equipment consume significant amounts of electricity.  This power supply has to be constant and 100% reliable, so hosting companies need the reliability of the national grid.

To offset this energy consumption, a truly green hosting company will take serious steps to offset the carbon emissions from their energy use.  Aside from doing their best in their day-to-day operations to reduce energy use - such as recycling, one of the more directly effective methods for hosting companies to offset carbon emissions is to plant trees, to renew and expand the natural ecosystem.

So if a hosting company claims to be green, ask what is meant by that - is it truly putting its money where its marketing is?