Environment Control

How Sustainable Are Electrical Devices Like Power Tools?

July 4, 2021 0

If you think more carefully how many electrical devices or tools you have bought in the last decade, you might be amazed. If we’re honest, we replace some devices faster than we’d like. There is also a new model for each of these pieces every year.

Who wouldn’t want a new vacuum cleaner with better cleaning results? Or the best electric chainsaw? In general, it can be said that electrical devices and tools are not particularly sustainable if you buy a new model every year or every two years. Most of them want nothing more than a durable device which you can still use in ten years. We have summarized all information on the topic of sustainability in electrical devices and tools.

Electrical Devices Energy Use

Why we regularly replace electrical appliances

The idea of ​​buying a new electrical appliance is usually not without reason. The new purchase happens for a variety of reasons :

  • The old device is defective.
  • There is a new model with more functions on the market.
  • Spare parts to repair the defect are not available.
  • The guarantee has expired.

In terms of warranty, consumers usually always have the advantage that they can return their devices and power tools to the store and either receive a free repair or receive a new device. Unfortunately, it is often the case that the brand does not offer any spare parts with which a repair would be very easy to carry out.

In the end, most users decide to buy a new one. Because it is not infrequently suggested by industry that only new devices are excellent.

Problems related to the sustainability of various devices

Unfortunately, there are a few very typical problems on the market that have a negative impact on the sustainability of the devices. We have already mentioned that no spare parts are available. But what other reasons are there for the lack of sustainability?

  • Cheap production costs: Many manufacturers mainly focus on quantity, but no longer on quality. A good example of this is the low cost of skilled labor.
  • Use of raw materials that pollute the environment: In addition to toxins and heavy metals, there are other substances that are laborious to break down, but which cannot be properly disposed of.
  • The deliberate use of inferior materials in order to drastically shorten the shelf life: There are more and more institutions against this handling that demand more sustainability on this point and consider new regulations to be appropriate. This includes, for example, the Federal Environment Agency (UBA).

Caution: A very good example of the lack of sustainability of materials that pollute the environment are ordinary batteries. Admittedly, a power tool with a rechargeable battery is much more popular these days than the variant with a cable. However, the production of the battery is by no means sustainable. They mostly contain lithium and cobalt.

How do you recognize a sustainable electrical device / tool?

Fortunately, these days there are more and more initiatives promoting the production of sustainable devices . Even when buying, it is therefore possible to select according to certain criteria and make the right decision.

These labels, for example, distinguish devices that meet special sustainability criteria:

  • Blue Angel: Identifies products that contain only small amounts of harmful substances. Electrical devices that have been awarded this mark are particularly energy-efficient.
    European eco-label: Here, the entire life cycle of the electrical device is scrutinized, from manufacture to disposal. The product must meet sustainable requirements and offer good energy efficiency.
  • TCO label / Energy Star label: Specially designed for office equipment that meets sustainable requirements and is energy-efficient.

Another tip is that if you have any doubts, you can contact the manufacturer of a particular product at any time to obtain more information about its sustainability.

Advantages and disadvantages of sustainability in electrical devices / tools

Finally, let’s summarize the advantages and disadvantages of sustainable electrical appliances:

Advantages

  • Most sustainable devices can be used for a long time.
  • Often they can also be repaired in the event of a defect.
  • All conditions during production are also regulated sustainably.

Disadvantage

For many people, certain electrical devices or tools are a veritable status symbol, which is why they always buy a new one. You will struggle to be sustainable when buying a new one.

Green web hosting: Better to go online with green electricity servers

July 2, 2021 0

The Internet devours energy. In Germany alone, data centers consume a good two percent of all electricity. So it’s better if we choose green web hosting. But does that even exist? If you are looking to compare web hosting providers, SuperBhosts could be among the right places to check.

 

The Internet and Electricity consumption

 

According to the IT industry association Bitkom, around 50,000 data centers were running in Germany alone in 2015, with a typical data center of 1,000 square meters using around 5.5 million kilowatt-hours of electricity. The Borderstep sustainability institute put the energy demand of data centers in 2016 at 12.4 billion kilowatt-hours ( PDF) for Germany – as much as four medium-sized coal-fired power plants – and at 287 billion kWh worldwide. The Blue Angel is a little more conservative: In 2014 it estimated that German data centers consume around 9.1 billion kWh per year.

 

Other estimates assume that in a few years, information technologies will have a greater impact on the environment than air traffic. The corona pandemic is currently accelerating this development: People travel less – and surf more.

 

Green web hosting: servers with green electricity

 

 

We took a look around and found green web hosts. The result in a nutshell: Everyone who runs a website already has the choice between conventional hosts – and those that work with green electricity.

 

In general: Economical data centers and climate neutralization are good – but it would be better if the electricity itself was eco-friendly and therefore climate-neutral. Ideally, of course, from providers who are actively promoting the energy transition.

 

Identifying features for green web hosts?

 

Unfortunately, there are currently no clear identifiers for green web hosting providers. Therefore, the following are recommendations:

 

  • With the web hosting offer, make sure that the electricity provider used is clearly stated.
  • Make sure that the green electricity provider named by the web host is recommended – for example by the Utopia best list or by EcoTopTen .
  • Pay attention to other, clearly communicated efforts of the web host to work more sustainably.
  • Avoid web hosting companies that do not use green electricity or do not make it clear where exactly their green electricity comes from.

The sustainability effects are correspondingly large if we switch to energy-efficient systems and green electricity here too. Of course, electronics itself also has some catching up to do when it comes to sustainability (raw material extraction, production, disposal, …) – and it is still a long way from “Green IT”. But that shouldn’t prevent us from leaving our money with providers who are already setting a good example.