LEED may be coming soon for data centers

The U.S. Green Building Council is considering adjusting LEED to incorporate the energy used by commercial data centers. 

By Source: Reuters June 18, 2009

Data centers may be the next facility to be monitored by the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) LEED program, according to Reuters .

LEED’s current building standard is able to certify data centers, but no unique circumstances are taken into account about how centers operate. That could change though, as the USGBC is considering adjusting LEED to be able to evaluate the best way to increase the energy efficiency of data centers.

There are criteria for energy-efficient data centers, created by groups such as ASHRAE and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. But there are no formal guidelines that are mandated by the government, which the LEED standards would be. Representatives from the USGBC said they understand that the emphasis for data centers should be different than typical commercial buildings and any adaptations would likely be incorporated into the LEED rating systems for new construction as well as existing buildings.