Energy saving technology for Earth Day

Today is Earth Day and to celebrate it I’m excited to share how we’re reducing the energy consumption of our Hub Sites, which are crucial distribution points in our network, in Ireland.


The energy required to power our network is significant and forms the largest part of our scope 1 and 2 carbon footprint (scope 1 is the direct emissions from our business operations and scope 2 is the indirect emissions from the generation the energy we purchase) at Virgin Media. We’re committed to growing our business without increasing our carbon footprint and one way we’re doing this is by using pioneering materials in our Hub Sites to reduce their energy consumption.

This pioneering heating and cooling technology reduces the energy demand of the sites by reducing the need for air conditioning. Our sister company, Ziggo, first trialled this technology for the Liberty Global group of companies in the Netherlands in 2010 when expanding its Hub Sites. They saw the opportunity to do things better so they liaised with over 45 companies, start-ups, universities and governments to develop the solution.


Having tried and tested the technology, and seen the benefits it delivered in the Netherlands; including a 43% improvement in energy efficiency and a 22% reduction in carbon footprint of the site, we’ve brought this exciting solution over to Virgin Media Ireland where we’ll be using the phase-change material within our new Irish Hub Sites architectural design. These materials act as a ‘thermal battery’, capturing and storing a structure’s heat in the day, then discharging it at night. As a result, facilities are kept at a constant temperature, removing the need for air conditioning units.

Earth Day is an annual event that raises awareness of environmental issues, while celebrating the great solutions that are being created to help protect our planet. The focus of this year’s event is ‘environmental and climate literacy’ – education is the foundation for progress so head over to The Earth Day Network to become fluent in the concepts of climate change and what you can do you help reduce your impact and influence others to take action too.


Join us over at @VirginMediaCorp, @VirginMedia and #VMSust where we’ll be celebrating the day and sharing more about what we’re doing to grow responsibly and sustainably – including some helpful tips to help you reduce your impact.