Green electricity for Austria’s IT landscape: At BRZ, the leading IT service provider in the public sector, not only is the electricity required “green”, servers also heat water.
As the IT market leader in the public sector, we take our responsibility towards the environment and society very seriously. Energy efficiency and sustainability as well as continuous training, work-life balance and equal opportunities are central components of sustainable work at the BRZ
Christine Sumper-Billinger, BRZ managing director
Vienna (OTS) – Regardless of whether citizens have theirs Income tax return online do, on JusticeOnline surf or one digital ID View: There are no CO₂ emissions for the electricity in the in-house BRZ data center, where Austria’s largest e-government applications are operated; every kilowatt hour is sourced from 100 percent renewable energy. Overall, the BRZ has been able to reduce its electricity consumption by more than half (55%) in the last nine years.
„As the IT market leader in the public sector, we take our responsibility towards the environment and society very seriously. Energy efficiency and sustainability as well as continuous training, work-life balance and equal opportunities are central components of sustainable work at the BRZ
“, says BRZ managing director Christine Sumper-Billinger.
BRZ servers produce hot water, cold comes from the roof
The BRZ’s high-performance servers generate waste heat around the clock, which is further processed via a recovery process and used for heating and hot water preparation. District heating consumption was reduced by 75 percent. Furthermore, the cooling required for the servers in the winter months can be provided directly from cooling units on the roof. With the help of a water softening system, up to 20 tons of salt could be saved.
Green procurement
The BRZ sets that Sustainable Procurement Action Plan and therefore buys “green” products: From servers to copy paper – there are strict requirements regarding environmental compatibility or compliance with social standards. Not only does the environment benefit from the implementation of the action plan, but also the local economy, for example by selecting suitability criteria for tenders in such a way that SMEs are not excluded.
April 22: Worldwide Earth Day
Earth Day Earth Day) has been taking place worldwide on April 22nd since 1970 with the aim of strengthening appreciation for the environment and rethinking consumer behavior. The Federal Computing Center, Austria’s leading IT service provider in the public sector, has been implementing step by step measures for more than 10 years that guarantee more environmental friendliness and less consumption of resources.
Download the publication “Safely Responsible”.
Further information on sustainability initiatives can be found in the publication “Certainly responsible“:
Questions & Contact:
Federal Computing Center GmbH
Mag. Julian Unger, MA
Press spokesman
+43 664 883 27678
julian. kids@brz.gv.at
www.brz.gv.at