Creating environmentally-friendly websites is crucial, and finding ways to be eco-conscious is just as vital.

We know that people using battery-powered devices are always worried about their battery levels. Since websites consume a lot of battery power, it’s high time we paid more attention to this issue.

Ideally, browsers would take the lead in reducing power consumption without developers having engineer it, and upcoming chrome updates suggest that power savings will be built in. We often need to pitch in to help the browser do its job better (think responsive images and optimising will-change).

Here are some practical tips:

• Reduce the number of timers to avoid straining the CPU. Combine timer-based tasks into fewer, less frequent timers. Having too many scattered timers can drain the battery quicker than if they were grouped together.
• Limit continuous animations, such as animated images and autoplay videos. Be cautious of persistent “loading” spinners or CSS animations that keep running even when hidden. Utilize IntersectionObserver to trigger animations only when they’re visible on the screen.
• Opt for declarative animations like CSS Animations and Transitions whenever you can. These animations can be optimised by the browser when the content isn’t in view, making them more efficient than script-based animation.
• Avoid using network polling for regular updates. Instead, opt for WebSockets or Fetch with a persistent connection to prevent unnecessary polling.

Consider using the website carbon calculator from https://www.websitecarbon.com/ to gauge your websites impact on the environment.

When it comes to eco friendliness, consider factors like usability, findability (seo!), performance, and green hosting. Everything from UX, UI design, media assets and video content can play a role in your websites environmental footprint.

Studies have shown that most users will leave a webpage if it doesn’t load within three seconds. Optimising your website for efficiency improves user experience and also reduces your websites bounce rate and energy consumption.

Here are some practical steps you can take to create a sustainable website:

• Switch to green hosting providers powered by renewable energy.
• Build your website using lightweight frameworks to reduce resource consumption.
• Optimise your cache to improve page load times.
• Resize and compress your images which will minimise bandwidth usage.
• Utilise lazy loading, defer the loading of non-essential content.
• Use video sparingly and only when necessary to conserve resources – additionally, only play video on click or action.
• Clean up your website by removing unused or unnecessary elements.
• Optimise your website navigation, improve user experience and reduce resource usage.

By implementing these strategies, you can make a positive impact on the environment while still delivering an exceptional user experience on your website.