Tools and Resources
Best Practices Guide for Energy-Efficient Data Center Design
Use this guide to learn best practices for energy-efficient data center design. The guide covers the Information Technology (IT) systems and their environmental conditions, data center air management, cooling and electrical systems, on-site generation, and heat recovery. This guide was created by the U.S. Department of Energy in March 2011.
Data Center FAQs
Use this document to better understand EPA's 1-100 ENERGY STAR score for data centers and learn how to benchmark your data center in Portfolio Manager. It includes answers to common questions about the score, the Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) metric, and energy measurement.
Data Center Industry Leaders Agreement on Energy Efficiency Guiding Principles, February 1, 2010
Read this guidance to understand and implement the standardized energy efficiency measurements, metrics, and reporting conventions for data centers. The document also contains contact information for industry leaders developing the national guidance standards.
Harmonizing Global Metrics for Data Center Energy Efficiency, February 2, 2010
Learn and implement global industry standards for data center energy efficiency measurements, metrics, and reporting conventions here. The document also contains contact information for industry leaders participating in the global task force.
Measurement Protocol for GEC, ERF, and CUE
Global leaders within the data center industry developed a consistent set of global metrics for measuring energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions. This protocol provides the agreed-on measurement protocols for PUE, Green Energy Coefficient (GEC), Energy Reuse Factor (ERF), and Carbon Usage Effectiveness (CUE). This document, dated October 2, 2012, also discusses agreements that have been reached to date.
Measurement Protocols for PUE and Updates on the Development of Other Metrics, February 28, 2011
This document includes the established protocols for measuring Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) at data centers, based on global industry guidance. The document establishes a standard set of metrics, indices, and measurement protocols which aim to improve data center energy efficiency globally.
Recommendations for measuring and reporting overall data center efficiency
Learn national industry standards for measuring and publishing values for Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) at data centers here. This document provides recommendations on how to measure and report overall data center infrastructure energy efficiency, based on agreed upon guiding principles.
Report to Congress on Server and Data Center Energy Efficiency Opportunities
In response to a 2007 Congressional request, EPA developed this 133-page report to assess current trends in energy use and energy costs of data centers and servers in the U.S., and to outline existing and emerging opportunities for improved energy efficiency. It provides particular information on the costs of data centers and servers to the federal government and opportunities for reducing those costs through improved efficiency. It also makes recommendations for pursuing these energy-efficiency opportunities broadly across the country through the use of information and incentive-based programs.
Top 12 Ways to Decrease the Energy Consumption of Your Data Center
Use this brochure to find the most effective ways you can reduce energy use in your data center. IT professionals, facility managers, energy managers, and sustainability coordinators can identify several opportunities to save energy, from virtualizing your servers to organizing your data to managing data center air flow. Print and share this brochure to your colleagues to help your organization reduce its energy consumption.
Understanding and Designing Energy Efficiency Programs for Data Centers
Use this guide to learn where you can save energy in your data center. The guide uses best practices for program design and implementation to illustrate how to plan strategies, perform measurements, and track program performance.
