Five technologies helping to reduce carbon emissions

For the eco-aware, cutting down your carbon footprint is high on the list of priorities to avoid the effects of severe climate change.

The UN are recommending carbon emissions need to reach a net-zero by 2050, with a reduction in emissions from 2010 to 2030 of 45 percent.

People can make some simple changes to their daily lives, such as reducing their use of single-use items, including shopping bags, coffee cups, and food packaging, but to make real strides towards this target, change on a larger scale is required.

Technological advances such as renewable energy sources, such as solar panels and wind turbines, and electric vehicles, are well documented, but there are many more examples of how technology reduces carbon emissions.

Here are five such technologies you might not know are helping in the fight against climate change.

Smart plugs
These little devices plug into your standard sockets and effectively transform any device you then plug into it into a smart device you can control remotely through your smartphone.

This means if you forget to turn your lamp off before heading out, you can turn it off from wherever you are or schedule appliances to switch on and off as and when you need them, eliminating the risk of accidentally leaving something switched on all day.

Building Automation and Control
Buildings with Access Control Systems which use building automation and control networks, means businesses are able to track when and where people are in the building. This information can then be used to optimize energy use and so reduce carbon emissions.

Home Appliances
The invention of more energy-efficient household appliances such as fridges, washing machines, kettles, and even televisions helps households across the globe reduce their carbon footprints with no effort whatsoever.

Even lighting has received a green makeover. If every lightbulb in the world was swapped for a new LED lightbulb, it is estimated it would save 1.4 million tons of carbon.

Video calling
This is one technology being embraced both in the home and in the workplace. Using video calling and video conferencing technology can reduce the need to travel to meetings or for training, for example, greatly reducing emissions.

Cloud Computing
Businesses making the switch to cloud computing are also making an eco-friendly choice, with studies revealing it can reduce carbon emissions by anywhere between 30 to 90 percent, depending on the size of the business.

There are various reasons for a cloud-based data center being more energy-efficient, not least that they use the latest technology versus what might be quite out-of-date hardware in an office setting.

What makes all these carbon-saving technologies even better is that they are not only helping individuals work towards that net-zero by 2050 target, but they are also money-saving. Investing in green tech can pay for itself, making the home and the office more environmentally and cost-friendly.

So, consider what upgrades you can make to your home or business today, and you will be doing your bit both for the environment and for your bank balance too.