Web hosting has changed dramatically in recent years. Due to a shift in global priorities toward a focus on environmental sustainability, what used to be a process of solely buying space and bandwidth is now about energy efficiency, website performance, and environmental responsibility. In this article we’ll discuss energy efficient web hosting strategies that can help your site perform more efficiently while reducing energy consumption and lowering your carbon footprint.
How to make your website more energy efficient
There are many hosting techniques you can use to make your site more energy efficient. Some of the most effective methods include caching, compression, proxy servers and CDNs (Content Delivery Networks).
Caching for energy efficiency
A cache is a temporary storage location that speeds up retrieval time by saving frequently requested data. The cached contents are stored locally on your computer or in memory where it can be accessed quickly and easily whenever needed – this makes web pages load faster.
Using energy efficient hosting servers
You can also use energy efficient web hosts or data centres to power your website. Some hosting providers, for example, use 100% clean energy to run their facilities. Many companies are shifting to investing in renewable energy sources as part of an overall commitment towards reducing carbon emissions.
Compression for energy efficiency
By compressing large images you can reduce file sizes without compromising on quality so they load faster than before. Compression reduces the number of bytes downloaded by browsers which saves time and energy.
Using energy efficient hosting proxies
You can also make your site more energy efficient by using proxy servers which act like traffic directors for the webpages you want people to see on your website. Proxy servers route visitors’ requests through a central server before delivering them to the original website, thus saving energy and money as well as making websites load faster.
Using Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) for energy efficiency
CDNs are the best way to optimise your website for speed and energy efficiency. A CDN is a collection of servers located all over the world that store your website’s content. When a visitor requests this data, it is delivered to them from the nearest server. This reduces energy used by your website and speeds up page load times for your users.
In conclusion
Making sure that all aspects of your website’s infrastructure are energy-efficient will not only help it perform better but will also save energy and money, reduce carbon emissions and contribute to environmental sustainability.
Start small by using one energy efficient web hosting option strategy per site launch before working up from there according to performance metrics. While some energy saving techniques might seem insignificant on their own they make a big difference when contributing to the overall energy footprint!
We can help improve your website’s energy efficiency! Get in touch with our team today.