Member Article

Tech Firm Reaffirms Environmental Commitment

Cloud technology firm UKFast today announces its commitment to meeting stringent emissions targets under the government’s Climate Change Agreement (CCA) for data centres, administered by techUK.

The move reflects the energy efficiency of the firm’s data centres and the business’ decade-long commitment to reducing emissions.

The firm was the first carbon neutral hosting company in the UK, having achieved the PAS 2060 carbon neutrality specification in 2010, contributing to a number of hydropower renewable energy schemes, which reduce greenhouse gas emissions by displacing power from higher-emission fossil fuel sources on the regional electric grid.

While web hosting is an energy-intensive industry, well-planned layouts and engineering in data centres ensures minimal wastage; using the right ratio of cooling to levels of heat output keeps temperature levels constant rather than allowing wasteful peaks and troughs.

UKFast CEO Lawrence Jones said: “We’re incredibly proud to commit to this agreement to show our ongoing dedication to carbon reduction. There’s no denying how power-hungry the hosting industry is, which is why it is our responsibility to ensure that it has the lowest possible impact on the environment. As a tech community it’s incredibly important that we take a responsible and pro-active approach to energy usage.

“We are committed to reducing our emissions and buying all of our energy from renewable sources. We are also investing in new technologies and efficient systems across UKFast and delivering greater energy efficiency is a key part of our roadmap for the coming years.

“Our data centres are designed to be as efficient as possible, and we continue to embrace emerging technology to increase that efficiency year on year. Our newest data centre, MaNOC 8, is our greenest data centre yet, with super-efficient UPS, AC power supply and generators. All of the lighting in the facility is LED, which uses significantly less energy.”

The ongoing reporting process for the CCA sees UKFast continually submit energy usage metrics to techUK.

UKFast’s CCA with techUK covers the firm’s key data centres MaNOC 5, 6 and 7. UKFast’s newest data centre, MaNOC 8, which opened in 2018, is in line for certification in the near future.

The British cloud firm provides supports the online fortunes of thousands of organisations, from SMEs to blue-chip corporations, government departments and the public sector.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tim Parker .