Leading U.S. Organizations Provide Consolidated Recommendations for Measuring Data Center Energy Efficiency

How to calculate PUE from weighted energy types based on source energy is highlighted in the report.

July 19, 2010

The Green Grid announced that the Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) metric, published in 2007, has achieved industry alignment specific to recommendations on how to measure PUE in dedicated data center facilities.

The task force’s report, “Recommendations for Measuring and Reporting Overall Data Center Efficiency – Version 1 – Measuring PUE at Dedicated Data Centers,” documents the combined recommendation of The Green Grid in collaboration with 7×24 Exchange, ASHRAE, Silicon Valley Leadership Group, U.S. Department of Energy Save Energy Now Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR Program, United States Green Building Council, and Uptime Institute.

The PUE metric identifies data center infrastructure efficiency by comparing the total amount of energy consumed by the data center to the total amount of energy consumed by the Information Technology (IT) equipment.

The report from the task force provides the following to data center operators:

  • Provides guidance on how to calculate PUE from weighted energy types, based on source energy
  • Outlines four recommended measurement categories for PUE, as a subset of The Green Grid’s measurement methods
  • Provides guidance for renewable energy sources, combined heat and power plants, and reuse of data center energy

The Green Grid has made the following PUE-related tools available free of charge to the data center community:

  • Online Courses from The Green Grid Academy The Green Grid Academy has launched two self-directed online courses to help data center managers and operators get familiar with industry lexicon and solutions to everyday data center challenges, including instructions on using PUE in improving energy efficiency.
  • PUE Reporting Database The Green Grid’s PUE Reporting Database is an online application that allows data center operators to report their own PUE, and compare it to other facilities across a variety of parameters and regions. 
  •  PUE Estimator Online Tool The Green Grid’s PUE Estimator is an interactive online tool that allows data center operators to input their facility’s specific data to determine their PUE. The PUE Estimator will be available during the third quarter of 2010.