Digital and climate-friendly: protecting the environment with smart gadgets

“Digitalisation” and “sustainability” – two words which do not have much in common at first glance. When you look more closely, however, they reveal a surprising synergy. In this article, we’ll show you how you can help protect the environment and make your everyday life more sustainable using digital technologies.

The paperless office: from myth to reality

The paperless office stopped being just a utopian idea a long time ago. With cloud services, digital signatures and electronic filing, you can make your everyday work almost completely paper-free. This makes processes more efficient and, incidentally, saves space too. However, it’s important to take care when it comes to digital transformation and to save data securely. This is where ePost services come into their own. They enable you to receive your invoices electronically or even process all your post digitally.

Smart technology means energy efficiency

Smart gadgets can be a great help in reducing energy consumption. Here are a few recommendations:

• A smart meter measures your energy consumption in real time and can help you spot inefficient devices and use them less. Some models even suggest improvements to you or send notifications when your consumption is particularly high.
• Smart thermostats can automatically adjust your heating requirements based on factors such as weather forecasts or your daily routine. You can also control it using the app when you’re not at home so you avoid leaving the heating on unnecessarily and thus save energy.
• The water-saving shower head known as a “Hydrao Smart Shower” changes its LED colour based on how much water you’re using, helping you save water. The associated app enables you to analyse your consumption even more precisely.
• Intelligent lighting systems, such as those offered by Philips Hue or LIFX, allow you to turn lights on and off, dim them or change their colour as required. And this can all be done conveniently via smartphone, even in a time-controlled way. This means that, combined with LED lamps, which use less energy than conventional light bulbs, you can reduce your energy consumption significantly.

Other digital ways to achieve a more sustainable lifestyle

• Mobility: use apps and online platforms for carsharing or to find the best route by public transport.
• Recycling: apps such as “Recycling Map” let you find recycling stations nearby and give you valuable information on how to dispose of different materials correctly.
• Eating and drinking: many apps help you find local, seasonal produce or waste less food.
• Learning and continuing professional development: online courses and webinars save resources and enable you to expand your knowledge in a flexible way.

Always keep in mind that every little helps. By optimising your energy consumption and using digital solutions, you’re making an important contribution to climate protection. And the best part is that you’re saving money as well as energy.