What is green coding? How to make software faster and cheaper...

Meet Fabian: Business Development Intern at Appfront

Fabian

6 November 2024

min read

Fabian

6 November 2024

Minutes

Fabian van Dijk, a third-year Computer Engineering student and business development & growth intern at Appfront, draws on his passion for marketing and technology to create innovative growth opportunities in a dynamic startup environment.

I'm Fabian van Dijk, business development & growth intern at Appfront. This means I'm responsible for identifying growth opportunities, analysing market trends, and developing and implementing strategies to expand the business. I also carry out day-to-day business development tasks.

What is your professional and personal background?

I'm a third-year Business Economics student at HvA. Alongside my internship at Appfront, I work as a student project assistant in digital projects and innovation at the University Library of the University of Amsterdam. I'm from Uithoorn and have been living in Amsterdam since last year.

How did you end up at Appfront?

I'm studying the entrepreneurship track within my degree and was looking for an internship at a dynamic, young start-up where I could really make a difference. The launch of ChatGPT sparked my interest in AI, and Appfront, an AI start-up, turned out to be a perfect match.

Why Appfront?

Appfront is a young start-up that develops smart digital products and applies AI to make these apps even smarter. The company offers a stimulating working environment where I get the chance to learn from experienced professionals and contribute to innovative projects. The culture at Appfront is very supportive, and there is always room for new ideas and initiatives.

What do you enjoy most about working at Appfront?

We play ping pong after lunch every day, which is always a highlight for me. I'm also a fan of the creative freedom at Appfront. An example of this is the company videos I got to film and edit for Appfront:

What gets you really excited?

I have a real passion for new technologies. I find it very interesting to try out new tools and experiment with new software. Appfront supports this, for example through our hackathons, where we build a complete product within 24 hours. These are always a great opportunity to learn new things from one another.

What is your favourite technology or tool that you use in your work?

I'm a big fan of ChatGPT. I use it every day and have had a Plus account since it became available in the Netherlands. I think AI has an enormous impact on the way we live and will have even more of an impact in the near future, and I'd really like to help develop it. It's also simply fascinating to see what is now possible.

Prediction: Which major AI innovation will be on every front page in two years' time?

A development I think is quite likely is in the entertainment industry. In a year or two, I can easily imagine personalised films and books, generated specifically for your interests, becoming a reality.

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What is green coding? How to make software faster, cheaper and more sustainable

Fabian

4 December 2026

min read

Fabian

4 December 2026

Minutes

Green coding means developing software that uses as little computing power and energy as possible. This results in faster apps, lower costs and happier users. For business leaders, this is becoming increasingly important due to new EU legislation and customer expectations.

Why inefficient software costs you money

Poorly optimised software means slow apps, frustrated users and higher hosting costs. The good news: small adjustments can make a big difference.

The 3-second rule

Google's research shows that 53% of mobile visitors abandon a page if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load. Around 50% of people even expect a page to load in under 2 seconds.

Why this happens: Software often recalculates the same things for every visitor. By caching cleverly, pages can go from 3 seconds to 1 second.

New EU rules are changing the game

From 2026, large companies must report on their sustainability impact. This means software efficiency is shifting from 'nice to have' to 'must have'.

What this means: Customers are increasingly asking, "How much energy does your software use?" Better to have a good answer ready now.

Apps that don't drain your phone

We all know those apps that quickly drain your battery. Users give up on them and look for alternatives. Energy-efficient apps are increasingly becoming a competitive advantage.

The difference: A well-optimised app feels faster, doesn't make your phone hot, and users keep it for longer.

Three practical approaches that really work

Green coding doesn't have to be complex. These three approaches make software faster, cheaper and more sustainable.

Think before you build

Rather than optimising afterwards, think from day one: "What do we really need?" A lot of software becomes unnecessarily complex because nobody asks this question.

Practical tip: For every new feature, first ask: "Can we make this simpler?" Often the simplest solution is also the fastest and most energy-efficient. This is also known as "lean coding".

Reuse what you already have, smartly

Just as you wouldn't bake fresh bread every day when you still have some left, software doesn't need to repeat the same calculations over and over. Store results and reuse them.

Simple example: A product overview that calculates prices could do this once an hour instead of on every click. Pages suddenly load much faster.

Let software 'sleep' when it can

Some tasks don't need to happen immediately. By running heavy calculations at times of low load, you can save costs and work more efficiently.

Practical application: Backup processes, reports or data analyses can run during off-peak hours when server load is low.

How others are tackling it

Netflix: Smarter streaming

Netflix optimised their video compression to drastically reduce data usage. By switching to more efficient codecs such as AV1, they were able to lower the bandwidth needed per stream by around 20%.

It works: smaller video files without loss of quality, less data usage, lower costs, and billions of people notice nothing.

Dutch newspapers: from slow to lightning fast

The Trouw, de Volkskrant and Het Parool websites all had the same problem: they were slow, and readers gave up before the articles had loaded. A clever technical approach led them to a solution.

Their solution: one smart website that works like an app, even offline. Articles now load within a second, even on slow connections.

The result: more readers, less frustration, and lower energy costs.

Where do you start as a business?

Green coding doesn't have to be overwhelming. Start small, measure what works, and build on it step by step.

Find out where things go wrong

Test your own software first. Which pages are slow? Where are users waiting? There are simple tools that show which components consume the most energy.

Agree on speed targets

Agree with your team: "Our apps must not take longer than 3 seconds to load." By setting concrete limits, everyone stays alert to performance and energy consumption.

Celebrate the small wins

Every improvement counts. A page that loads 20% faster, an app that uses less battery, hosting that costs 10% less. Share these successes with your team and your clients.