DreamHost
HostPapa
GreenGeeks Web Hosting
MochaHost
Eco Web Hosting
iPage
123-reg
FatCow
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If you’re looking into more alternative, contemporary forms of web host, then green, a.k.a. eco solution, would be a perfect fit for you and your website.
The green host is an eco-friendly service that utilizes ecological technologies with the sole purpose of reducing environmental impact.
In case you are interested in including the carbon offset trend in your business life, green (eco) hosting is what you need.
This service is built upon the idea of carbon offset, as its data centers are powered by renewable energy.
Such providers are also utilizing green marketing techniques and are entirely focused on eco-friendly consumers or people concerned about the environment and seek active ways to help reduce damage.
Green Hosting: the Definition
Did you know that web hosting services need a large amount of energy to power their servers and data centers?
This power is required on a 24/7 basis, and it’s also necessary for providing additional facilities such as cooling controls and security setups.
All these components require a significant amount of power, and this need inevitably leads to a negative impact on the environment.
This is where these providers come into play, as they are entirely focused on using sustainable power and renewable resources.
There is one downside to going green, however, and it is the price.
This type of service is a little higher in price than the competition. Nonetheless, this is expected, as these companies are paying a second energy bill to generate renewable power.
Renewable Energy
Renewable energy stands for electricity generated with the help of natural resources.
Hydroelectricity and wind power are quite common resources of renewable energy. Some countries are more involved in using this type of power than others.
Let’s take North America, which is considered one of the top producers of renewable power in the form of hydroelectricity.
More providers there are shifting their focus towards utilizing more efficient server hardware to reduce electricity use.
Carbon Offset
Did you know that a web server, on average, produces more than 630 kg of carbon dioxide and consumes 1,000 kWh of electricity in a year?
On the other hand of this consumption is green hosting, which in theory produces zero carbon dioxide.
Such companies try to deal with carbon offset by investing in any of the available carbon offsetting forms.
By doing so, these providers make sure that for every unit of energy they utilize, they pay to generate the same amount of the same. In some cases, the generated amount of energy can be even more than the spent one.
How Does Green Hosting Work?
According to statistics, if power consumption associated with web host continues to grow at the current rate by the end of 2020, this industry would be polluting the environment more than the airline industry.
Thus, it is no surprise that more such firms are going eco-friendly.
It is noteworthy that such a provider doesn’t need to have access to gree power from natural sources such as wind, water, or solar power.
These companies have the option to offset the energy use and cost by purchasing green certificates.
According to Wikipedia, sites that contain Green-e certification labels are organizations that voluntarily add strict environmental guidelines.
Other recognized certificates that are regularly used in the web hosting industry include The Gold Standard, Green Power Partnership, VCS (Verified Carbon Standard), and Climate Action Reserve.
In a nutshell, a web host company can reduce the impact on the environment by implementing the following decisions:
- The employment of low-voltage computer equipment;
- The employment of active cooling with outside air during mild weather;
- The improvement of airflow via servers that allow operators to utilize higher cooling temperatures;
- The upgrade of Computer Room Air Conditioners (CRACs) and other HVAC (Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) components with more efficient units;
- The isolation of cold air from hot air produced by servers to improve the loading of HVAC equipment to improve efficiency;
- The use of energy-efficient lighting and occupancy sensors in the building;
- The purchase of the Renewable Energy Credits or the direct produce of renewable energy;
- The contribution to other sustainable organizations focused on renewable energy and other sustainable practices.
Top 8 Best Green Hosting Companies
We have prepared the Top 8 eco hosting companies that provide great hosting solutions. Now let’s preview them.
DreamHost
DreamHost was established back in 1996, and since then, they have managed to position themselves as one of the top host providers. At this point, they appear to be one of the best such companies as well.
The offices of DreamHost and their data centers come with a technology called LEED Platinum and Energy – Star certification. This means that everything is created to operate at the lowest possible lighting consumption.
The office lights are LED, the offices have low mercury tech, CFL. Advanced lighting sensors minimize wasting power when specific places of the facilities are not used. Furthermore, they try to stick to renewable wind and water power.
Main features of DreamHost:
- Protection against DDoS.
- Full management.
- RAID 1.
- 24/7 server control and monitoring.
- Unlimited MySQL database and traffic bandwidth.
- Free SSL and SSH included.
- Full root access.
HostPapa
HostPapa is a company created in 2005. This service provider is also very focused on sustainable power. The business plan of this provider includes the purchasing of eco-energy certificates, called Green Tags.
These certificates ensure the power of their current facilities, including data centers and offices, will be offset by the generation of environmentally sensitive energy.
As reported, HostPapa is one of the first host companies that has started thinking ecologically.
It is one of the best such green companies in the USA. This provider is certified by different respectable environmental organizations, such as Green-e.org.
Main features of Host Papa:
- A lot of plans.
- Resources that are scalable.
- Domains that are unlimited.
- They have SSL Let’s Encrypt for higher security.
- Free VPS migrating.
- SSD servers that are high-level.
- cPanel included.
- Root access.
- 400 free apps included.
GreenGeeks
GreenGeeks was founded in California back in 2008, and currently, it is being advertised as the “world’s #1 green web host”.
According to the official website, GreenGeeks matches 3 times the amount of power we consume from the grid in the form of renewable electricity credits.
Your website will be 300% environmentally-friendly when hosted on our platform. You can feel good that you’re making a difference, the company promises.
Also, GreenGeeks says that for every amperage we pull from the grid, we invest three times that in the form of renewable power via the Bonneville Environmental Foundation.
GreenGeeks’ philosophy is an excellent example of what this type of service is and should be.
iPage
IPage is a reputable nature-friendly host company. Its plans have competitive prices. Typically, such a strategy means higher plans’ prices.
iPage successfully differentiates here by providing one of the cheapest plans in the market right now. Their operating facilities are powered by wind power, which helps them to optimize 200% of their emission output levels.
They regularly purchase renewable power certificates, and they claim to outperform the best providers in the business by maintaining the greatest amount of energy offsets.
If you use iPage as your host, you will get a green badge for your website that says your site is currently hosted by 100% wind power. This is definitely a good supplement that may provide for a positive outcome.
The addition is likely to attract users who have strong environmental views and eventually make them loyal customers.
Main features of iPage:
- The support is managed.
- You get 1 free domain per year.
- From 5 to 10 terabytes bandwidth.
- cPanel + CentOS.
- Cloud-based.
123-REG
According to 123-REG’s official website, the company has eco-friendly data centers that are powered by the latest low-energy systems to minimize our carbon footprint.
The company’s secure data center helps to protect the environment while simultaneously saving their customers money.
If you’re interested in other environmentally safe providers in the UK, check out our particular article dedicated to the Best Eco Web Hosting in The UK .
Eco Web
Eco Web is yet another provider that rates among the top eco host companies. They offer different plans that range from managed WordPress CMS installations to VPS and reseller machines.
If we compare the company with the traditional hosting companies, Eco Web works with tree-planting organizations to reduce their carbon footprint.
Another goal is to utilize eco-friendly technology in their data centers.
Every purchase guarantees that the company will plant a predefined amount of trees to save the environment. All plans offer content cloning on a global CDN (content delivery network) to provide faster loading speed.
Security-wise the machines are protected by a web access firewall, which will stop hacker attacks, including intrusion attempts.
Like other companies, a money-back guarantee is offered as a standard feature. However, unlike its competitors, 45 days are specified in the plan agreement. Other advantages of choosing them include the following:
- Automatic scaling.
- Trees planted for each website.
- Green business practices.
- Global CDN Available.
- DDoS protection.
Fat Cow
Fat Cow is a big provider with ecological characteristics. The company started back in 1998, and since then, it has slowly been transforming into an eco-friendly provider.
They have purchased the so-called RECs (Renewable Energy Certificates). These certificates allow them to take their non-eco energy usage levels to a minimum immediately.
Furthermore, Fat Cow has an eco-friendly office mission that stimulates their employees and customers to adapt to more environmentally friendly decision-making in their personal and business lives.
Main Features of Fat Cow:
- Domain name and registration are free.
- Marketing tools included.
- E-mail support is personalized.
- Cloud-based flexibility.
- Support is fully managed.
MochaHost
Similar to other plans in this list, MochaHost plans come with a green hosting badge for your site. The company also provides very cheap plans. The prices start at the extremely low $1.95 a month.
MochaHost offers other bonuses, too, like free domains and unlimited websites.
Main features of MochaHost:
- 100% Network Uptime Guarantee.
- Lighting Fast Guarantee.
- Blazing Fast SSD Cloud Storage.
- Free Domain for Life & Website Builder.
- Unlimited Free SSL Certificates for Life.
- Free Website Transfer Assistance.
Green Web Hosting FAQ
What Is Green Web Hosting?
Green web hosting is a sustainable alternative to traditional hosting. It utilizes renewable energy sources to power websites, instead of relying on electricity generated from fossil fuels.
This helps to reduce the amount of energy and electricity needed to keep websites operational.
What Are The Pros Of Green Web Hosting?
The main benefit of Green Web Hosting is reducing of the carbon footprint.
Green hosting companies utilize renewable energy sources and energy-efficient technology to lessen their carbon footprint and to fight climate change.Green web hosting is both eco-friendly and cost-efficient, making it a more affordable choice than traditional web hosting.
With regular hosting, the electricity costs associated with running servers can make the services and packages more expensive.
Is Green Web Hosting Cheaper Than Regular?
Green hosting is powered by renewable energy sources like solar and wind, which reduces its operating costs and leads to cheaper hosting package prices for customers.
Choosing a green hosting plan doesn’t mean sacrificing features and performance. You can expect a fully optimized web hosting package with all the bells and whistles, such as site security, backups, domain name, email, and more – just like any other conventional plan.
How to Check If a Web Hosting Company Is Green?
Web hosting companies that offer green shared hosting plans are proud to be part of the environmental protection movement.
Such plans come with a large financial investment, and your hosting provider will make it clear if you are on such a plan. It’s easy to tell if your shared hosting plan is green.
What Types of Green Web Hosting Exist?
There are two main types of certifications associated with green web hosting: Renewable Energy Certificates (REC) and Carbon Offset Certificates (VER).
RECs, sometimes referred to as Green tags, Renewable Electricity Certificates, or Tradable Renewable Certificates, are designed to reward those who produce energy from renewable sources.
Carbon Offset Certificates (VER) on the other hand, are created to compensate for carbon emissions caused by electricity generation and consumption.
Companies with large energy-consuming data centers should consider obtaining a carbon offset certification in order to comply with the rules and regulations of the countries in which they operate.
Why Is Green Web Hosting Popular?
Many web hosting companies are focused on increasing energy efficiency. To keep costs low, they will constantly search for ways to reduce their energy consumption. Data servers and other rack-mounted devices need to be kept running 24/7, meaning that in a data center with hundreds or thousands of these devices, the energy usage (CPU, RAM consumption, etc.) is incredibly high.
How Do I Find Good Green Web Hosting Plan?
If you want to find Green Web Hosting plans offering the best value for the lowest price, then we recommend that you use the fast Hosting Finder tool by howtohosting.guide.
It is one of the best tools and is one of a kind, because you can select your parameters and requirements for your project (CMS platform, monthly traffic, location, website builder, etc.) and the tool will find the best possible deal for you.