In 2007, EcoIron posted on its blog “Black Google Would Save 750 Megawatt-hours a Year.” Since then, Blackle has existed.
Blackle, a black version of Google, saves energy around the popularity of the search engine.
“Image displayed is primarily a function of the user’s color settings and desktop graphics, as well as the color and size of open application windows; a given monitor requires more power to display a white (or light) screen than a black (a dark) screen,” the Blackle website states.
Blackle is powered by Google Custom Search, so it is exactly the same as Google, but just better for the environment. It was created by Heap Media, which is “committed to developing and growing leading digital content and services with global reach,” their website states.
“We believe that there is value in the concept because even if the energy savings are small, they all add up,” Blackle’s website states.
The average American household consumes 11 Megawatt-hours of electrical energy in a year. Blackle has allegedly saved 6 Megawatt-hours (or over 6 million Watt hours) by December 2016.
And by simply making Blackle your homepage, it saves a bit of energy.
“We feel that seeing Blackle every time we load our web browser reminds us that we need to keep taking small steps to save energy,” the website states.
And Blackle has tips too on how to save energy. You can sign up for weekly emails for tips, new green products, and eco news.