Choosing a Green Web Hosting Provider
The number of options for eco-friendly web hosting has increased in the last few months. Niche hosting players have sprung up and some medium to large sized hosts have begun offering green hosting options.
For the most part, green hosting companies have focused their efforts on their energy sources. Some hosts commit to using renewable energy, such as solar, wind or biomass to meet the high energy demands of their always on servers. Others, such as Rackspace purchase carbon offsets or renewable energy credits to compensate for their use of traditional energy sources. DreamHost uses renewable energy credits and has 3rd party certifications to back it up.
Datacenter technology has historically been notoriously energy efficient. To reduce energy consumption, green hosting companies can use more efficient computer CPUs, such as low-power AMD processors, in their servers.
Some hosts extend their eco-friendly ways to their company operations and to their employees. Employees may be given incentives to telecommute to work or use low impact methods such as bicycling. Other companies use solar power in their offices, while others implement heavy recycling programs and use of lower-power equipment.
AISO goes one step further than all the rest. This ultra-green hosting company is powered completely by a redundant solar powered system that stores energy in batteries for use when the sun isn't shining. For emergencies, AISO has a backup diesel generator ready to power the system.
Some hosts are being creative in their eco-friendly offerings. ThinkHost will plant a tree for every new customer account.
How do you choose a green host?
First, use the same performance and reliability measures that you would normally use when choosing a hosting provider.
Next, look for companies that have implemented low energy footprint hosting solutions combined with renewable energy sources, offsets or credits.
Finally, look for companies that go beyond simple gimmicks (almost every hosting company already has a large percentage of employees that telecommute, so don’t weigh that too heavily) and extend their environmentally friendly practices to all aspects of their operations.
Note: EfficientEnergy.org has no affiliation with any company mentioned in this article.
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