Making IT greener: Simple ways to cut energy use and carbon through smarter infrastructure

A few months ago, I visited one of our long-standing customers to review their network infrastructure. As we toured their communication rooms, it became clear just how much hidden potential there is within IT infrastructure, not just in performance and innovation, but in energy efficiency and environmental impact.

The latest Global Tipping Points Report, published on 13 October 2025, confirmed that the first climate tipping point has been reached, underlining just how urgent meaningful action has become.

Sustainability is no longer a corporate afterthought; it now shapes how organisations invest, operate, and measure success. Across the UK, businesses are being held accountable for delivering measurable progress against their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals, and IT is increasingly recognised as a key area where that progress can be achieved.

Energy-hungry servers, legacy cooling systems, and inefficient networks all contribute to unnecessary carbon emissions and rising costs. As energy prices remain volatile and ESG reporting becomes standard practice, smarter infrastructure offers a clear route to reducing both.

Uncovering the true footprint of technology

IT often accounts for a far larger share of energy consumption than many organisations realise. Legacy equipment, idle switches, and underused virtual machines continue drawing power even when demand is low. Collectively, the sector now contributes around 2-3% of global CO₂ emissions, putting it on par with the aviation industry.

For UK businesses, this translates into rising operational costs. Many spend tens of thousands of pounds each year just powering and cooling infrastructure that isn’t running efficiently. The good news is that targeted improvements can deliver measurable reductions in both cost and carbon output.

That is where modern infrastructure design comes in. By combining data-driven insight with smarter technology choices, organisations can make immediate, high-impact changes that support both financial performance and sustainability targets.

Practical ways to make IT more sustainable and cost-effective

Below are a few practical ways organisations can make their IT operations more sustainable while reducing long-term costs.

1. Move workloads to energy-efficient cloud platforms

Public cloud data centres are typically up to 90% more energy efficient than traditional on-premises environments. Providers such as Microsoft Azure and AWS operate hyperscale facilities designed for efficiency; powered largely by renewable energy and optimised through advanced cooling systems, AI-driven load balancing, and dynamic power management.

Modern cloud infrastructure makes far better use of shared resources, allowing hardware to run at higher utilisation levels without the waste common in smaller datacentres. Features such as auto-scaling, consumption-based billing, and serverless computing ensure resources are only used when needed, avoiding the energy and cost overheads of running idle capacity.

Moving workloads to the cloud reduces both electricity and hardware costs by eliminating the need to power, cool, maintain, and periodically replace on-site servers while also improving resilience and flexibility for future growth.

2. Right-size and refresh infrastructure

For organisations that need to maintain on-premises datacentres, efficiency gains can be achieved by optimising existing virtualised environments. Many estates become over-provisioned or filled with low-usage virtual machines that still consume power and cooling.

Upgrading to modern, energy-efficient servers offers immediate benefits. New-generation hardware uses more efficient power supplies, low-voltage processors, and advanced thermal management to adjust cooling and power draw automatically. With greater compute density per watt, fewer hosts are needed to run the same workloads.

Combined with regular capacity reviews, these upgrades can cut energy use, reduce maintenance costs, and improve performance and resilience.

3. Modernise your network

Even as more services move to the cloud, the network still needs on-site hardware to keep everything connected. Switches, access points, and routers must stay powered, making networking one of the few areas of IT that cannot be fully offloaded. Older devices are particularly energy-hungry, often running at full draw regardless of demand.

Upgrading to modern, energy-efficient hardware such as Juniper EX and Mist platforms can make a noticeable difference. Newer models use low-power chipsets, Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) standards, and variable-speed fans that adjust cooling as required. Smart PoE (Power over Ethernet) controls ensure power is only delivered when needed, while intelligent sleep states and dynamic transmit power further reduce draw during quieter periods.

Energy use can also be reduced by consolidating communication rooms and using direct fibre uplinks between cabinets or buildings to limit the need for intermediate switching and cooling equipment. Fewer active components mean lower power consumption, less heat, and simpler maintenance.

Together, these changes lower overall energy demand and cooling needs, helping organisations lower costs while maintaining fast and reliable connectivity.

 4. Automate power management and patching

Powering down non-essential equipment outside office hours is a straightforward way to save money. Tools like Microsoft Intune allow organisations to automate shutdowns, sleep modes, and patching schedules. Over a year, these changes can cut endpoint energy bills by 10–15% without impacting productivity.

5. Monitor, measure, and report

Using platforms such as Microsoft Sustainability Manager or Azure’s Emissions Impact Dashboard helps organisations accurately measure both carbon and cost savings. These tools consolidate data from cloud and on-premises environments to show where energy is consumed, and which workloads have the highest impact.

This visibility allows IT and sustainability teams to track progress over time, quantify the benefits of efficiency initiatives, and report against ESG objectives with confidence. By turning raw data into actionable insight, organisations can demonstrate measurable financial and environmental gains.

6. Reuse, recycle, or donate retired hardware

When equipment reaches the end of its service life, responsible disposal can make a big difference. Many components still have value and can be refurbished, resold, or repurposed for less demanding roles, reducing waste and extending the useful life of materials already in circulation.

Where reuse is not practical, hardware should be recycled through accredited partners to ensure compliance with data-handling and environmental standards. Some organisations also choose to donate refurbished devices to charities, schools, or community programmes, helping bridge the digital divide while supporting social value commitments under ESG goals.

Taking a structured approach to asset retirement not only reduces landfill and carbon impact but can also recover value from older equipment and strengthen corporate sustainability reporting.

How OneAdvanced can help you achieve your ESG goals

At OneAdvanced, we believe technology should drive progress while supporting a more sustainable future. We may not install solar panels or wind turbines, but our cloud, infrastructure, and managed service solutions help organisations operate more efficiently, reduce waste, and align IT strategies with their sustainability and ESG goals.

From migrating workloads to energy-efficient cloud platforms, to modernising on-premises networks and automating routine processes, we help customers identify practical improvements that deliver measurable reductions in cost and carbon.

Our consultants work closely with organisations to create clear, achievable roadmaps that support ESG commitments and demonstrate tangible results.

Greener IT is about more than leaving behind a stable planet for future generations; it is about building a more efficient, cost-effective, and resilient technology foundation. With OneAdvanced, your organisation can achieve all three. Contact us today to find out how.