End-user devices account for over 50% of energy consumption in the ICT sector, including the manufacturing phase. Client-side software plays a significant role in this. But how can the environmental impact of a web application be reliably measured?
In this session, we will explore the approaches and measurement tools currently available, explain how they differ, and how to select the right tool for your specific application. We will examine how they work, discuss their strengths and limitations, and provide tips for their use.
The tool landscape of the Bundesverband Green Software already lists a wide range of tools for measuring the environmental impact of web applications. However, the approaches behind them differ fundamentally:
- Tools that estimate COâ‚‚ emissions based on proxy metrics,
- Tools that identify bottlenecks in the front end and provide concrete optimisation suggestions,
- Tools that measure actual energy and resource consumption.
We compare these categories and show typical application scenarios. We also address the question of why it is not enough to simply look at the loading behaviour of an application – and what other factors need to be included to get a realistic picture.
A special focus is placed on the automation of measurements in order to cover complete user journeys. This is the only way to reliably capture the environmental impact of relevant usage scenarios – an important basis for continuous optimisation.
The presentation is aimed at anyone who wants to understand and effectively reduce the environmental impact of their front-end applications.