1. Adjust IT equipment to needs

Carefully assess what requirements your company’s IT equipment needs to fulfil. For example, if applications are limited to standard office or email programmes, devices with lower computing power are generally sufficient. Discard unnecessary or outdated, energy-hungry devices. You should consider: Notebooks or thin clients consume less power than traditional desktop PCs, but the latter tend to be easier to repair.

2. Choose products with care

When purchasing new IT systems, take careful consideration: Are the systems robust and durable? Are the products repairable? How long does the manufacturer provide spare parts and updates? What are their energy consumption and efficiency levels? Besides hardware, the software side should also be considered. Certifications such as the "Blue Angel" can help identify energy- and resource-efficient hardware and software products.

3. Energy-optimised control

Are your IT devices optimally configured for energy consumption? Many devices have energy-saving features (such as standby mode or dimming functions), which are not always automatically activated. Settings should be reviewed, and control functions should be activated. Unnecessary systems or functions can be switched off or deactivated.

4. Refurbished IT

An alternative to purchasing new devices is so-called "refurbished IT products": Used IT devices are professionally cleaned and reconditioned (refurbished) by experts for reuse. This allows companies to acquire high-performing devices at lower costs while also conserving resources.

5. Optimise internet usage

Streaming, cloud services, and other internet services utilising video, images, and audio consume significant amounts of energy, with image resolution playing a major role. During streaming or when using conferencing tools, energy consumption can be reduced by lowering image resolution or deactivating the camera function. Video files that are reused multiple times should be downloaded instead of repeatedly streamed.

6. Green software

When developing your own software, ensure that it is designed to conserve resources as much as possible. The characteristics of these applications influence the amount of hardware capacity required and the amount of energy consumed. For example, selecting the appropriate programming language is crucial for the energy efficiency of software.

7. Examine potential for waste heat utilisation

From 2027 onwards, data centres must operate climate-neutrally, and waste heat from data centres should be better utilised. This offers excellent potential, as waste heat can be used not only directly within buildings but also, for example, to heat neighbouring buildings. Especially for companies with their own server rooms, it is worth examining how waste heat can be utilised, or whether cooling systems can be avoided altogether.

8. Data collection

The collection and monitoring of relevant device or energy data is an important first step towards making the IT landscape more energy-efficient. The collected data can be used to check and forecast energy consumption. This helps identify and implement optimisation opportunities – for example, adjusting material usage or creating energy-efficient systems for plants.

9. Optimise data management and transmission

At the same time, it is worth examining whether your company’s data and file management is efficiently organised: Where are unnecessary capacities being used? Where possible, storage capacity should be reduced. Duplicated storage should be avoided, such as by using central storage locations. The type of infrastructure is also a relevant factor in energy consumption during data transmission: 4G networks are much more energy-intensive than Wi-Fi and 5G; optic fibre is optimal, even within buildings.

10. Train employees

To successfully implement these measures, employees must be sensitised and motivated to use IT systems efficiently. Campaigns, training, and information leaflets can support this process.