Eco Web Hosting
Whilst the internet has numerous benefits for the green community one potential sticking point is that websites actually use a considerable amount of energy to run. The servers that web sites reside on are switched on 24 hours a day and get incredibly hot. This means that they not only consume energy constantly but also require constant cooling if they are not to overheat.
Fortunately there are a growing number of eco web hosting companies which allow you to host your website in a more environmentally-friendly way. There are a number of ways in which eco web hosting companies aim to reduce the environmental impact of your website. For example new technology means that servers can be run far more energy efficiently than old-fashioned servers. Some web hosts are building data centers underground so as to create a more stable, reliable temperature. And most notably of all they are using renewable energy.
However of course this being Eco Living Advice our belief is that the green alternative to everyday purchases needs to be just as good (if not better) than the original. We don’t believe you should have to compromise on quality or service just to be more environmentally-friendly.
This means that a decent eco web hosting company needs to offer the same benefits as their less green counterparts at the same price – while offering a greener experience. The question is whether this is really possible…
Whilst we run this site on green web hosting we decided it would be useful to go looking at some of the more popular eco web hosting companies to see how they compare and to help you make smart decisions about which of these hosts is going to be most suitable for your website.
Examples of Popular Eco Web Hosting Companies
EcoHost
EcoHost is a UK-based eco web hosting company run on 100% renewable energy. They also use biodiesel generators for backup incase of any major power failure in their systems which helps to keep your website running smoothly no matter what the situation.
Whilst EcoHost offers a wide range of packages they are typically quite a bit more expensive than many other green web hosts we found during our research which means their offer is considerably less attractive.
For example at the time of writing their £60 per annum package offers just one MySQL database, 500 mb webspace, 10 mail boxes and 740mb data transfer. Compare this with some other eco web hosts and you’ll find that these packages are really quite limited. In addition their annual packages mean that you’re locked in for a full year should you change your mind while many of their competitors charge only on a monthly basis meaning no long term commitment in any way.
ThinkHost
ThinkHost does a far better job of a tempting web hosting package that is both environmentally sound and great value for money.
In terms of their environmental credentials as well as running their data center on 100% renewable energy they also plant a tree on behalf of every new customer and even offer specially-subsidized web hosting for non-profit environmental causes meaning that you’ll be helping the eco community on a wider scale when you sign up.
While at the time of writing ThinkHost only offers one single eco web hosting package that is really all you will need and so their limited offering makes perfect sense. In contrast to EcoHost, ThinkHost offers unlimited server space, bandwidth, databases, email addresses and domains all for under $8 a month with no long-term contract. That’s what you call a bargain – especially with their 100% uptime guarantee.
HostGator
HostGator have a small number of different packages but just like ThinkHost it’s possible to get an “unlimited everything” eco web hosting package from them for less than $8 and if you only need to host a single website you can get a package from under $4 a month at the time of writing which is quite simply ridiculously good value.
Indeed in many ways ThinkHost and HostGator are quite similar in terms of pricing and the details of their web hosting packages but there are a few subtle difference worth being aware of.
The biggest of these is that rather than simply using 100% renewable energy to run their eco web hosting service, HostGator actually go a step further and offset the carbon emissions produced by 130%. In other words HostGator don’t just offer carbon neutral web hosting like their competition but by hosting with them you’ll actually be rolling back carbon emissions. Who’d think that simply by hosting your website with the right eco web host you could be helping the environment?
So What’s The Best Eco Web Hosting Company?
Both ThinkHost and HostGator offer impressive eco web hosting and making a decision between these two “best of breed” competitors can be hard. However I can tell you that here at Eco Living Advice we have been using HostGator ever since this site launched and the customer service we have received from them has been incomparable. As such we wouldn’t host anywhere else and our personal recommendation would be for you to strongly consider signing up for HostGator too.
There are no long-term contracts – you just pay on a monthly basis – so if you change your mind at all it’s easy to get out of. They offer a money back guarantee, offset 130% of your carbon emissions and offer reliable, fast web hosting with unlimited everything at a market-leading price.
(Even better at the time of writing you can even save 20% by entering the coupon code “green” on their order form.)
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Too bad the hedgehog population is starting to diminish. And I hope something can be done aside from the information that you have provided. Not everyone are like us so we need make sure some law can protect this lovely little animals
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