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Data Centers
The following federal resources are available to help you implement best practices in your data center.
General Information
National Data Center Energy Efficiency Information Program
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Energy (DOE) have a joint national data center energy efficiency information program. The program coordinates activities from the DOE Industrial Technologies Program Save Energy Now initiative, the DOE Federal Energy Management Program, and the EPA ENERGY STAR program.
Saving Energy in Data Centers
The Department of Energy's Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) provides tools and resources to help data center owners and operators benchmark data center energy use, identify opportunities to reduce energy, and adopt energy efficient practices.
Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), Data Center Energy Efficiency
FEMP supports data center efficiency initiatives by encouraging Federal agencies to adopt best practices, construct energy-efficient data centers, and educate energy managers and information technology professionals.
- Resources on Data Center Energy Efficiency
FEMP provides resources on general best practices, power supplies, servers and storage, cooling systems, metrics and benchmarking. - Federal Partnership for Green Data Centers
This working group was created in 2009 to advance the energy efficiency and renewable energy use goals of federal community, as they relate to data centers.
ENERGY STAR Data Center Energy Efficiency Initiatives
The Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR program works to identify ways in which energy efficiency can be measured, documented, and implemented in data centers.
- ENERGY STAR Data Center Product Specifications
ENERGY STAR is developing energy efficiency performance specifications for a suite of products used in data centers. ENERGY STAR currently has a specification for enterprise servers and is in the process of developing specifications for data center storage and uninterruptible power supplies. EPA is also planning to develop a specification for data center networking equipment. - ENERGY STAR Data Center Energy Performance Rating
The ENERGY STAR buildings program has developed an energy performance rating for data centers to help energy managers assess how efficiently their buildings use energy, relative to similar buildings nationwide. Organizations can obtain energy performance ratings through Portfolio Manager, an online interactive energy management tool, and top performing buildings are eligible to qualify for the ENERGY STAR label.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Data Centers
LBNL provides technical support and research related to data center energy efficiency for public and private entities, and is supporting international efforts in data center efficiency.
Federal Data Center Consolidation Initiative (FDCCI)
The Office of Management and Budget's FDCCI aims to address the challenges of federal data centers by leveraging best practices in the public and private sector.
Best Practices
Federal Energy Management Program, Best Practices Guide for Energy-Efficient Data Center Design (PDF, 888 KB)
This Guide provides an overview of best practices for energy-efficient data center design which spans the categories of Information Technology (IT) systems and their environmental conditions; data center air management; cooling and electrical systems; on-site generation; and heat recovery.
High Performance Data Centers, A Design Guidelines Sourcebook (PDF, 2.5 MB)
Based upon benchmark measurements of operating data centers and input from practicing designers and operators, these Design Guidelines are intended to provide a set of efficient baseline design approaches for data center systems.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Best Practice Summaries
LBNL provides a comprehensive outline of 67 data center best practices, categorized by heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) air delivery; HVAC water systems; power systems; IT equipment; and cross-cutting miscellaneous issues.
Recommendations for Measuring and Reporting Overall Data Center Efficiency, Version 1 – Measuring PUE at Dedicated Data Centers (PDF, 285 KB)
These recommendations for a consistent and repeatable measurement strategy that allows data center operators to monitor and improve the energy efficiency of their facilities was developed by a task force of public and private entities.
Quick Start Guide to Increase Data Center Energy Efficiency (PDF, 944 KB)
This quick start guide was developed by the General Services Administration (GSA) and the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP).
Tools and Training
Data Center Awareness Training (Look for "ASHRAE/DOE Data Center Energy Efficiency Workshop")
The Department of Energy and ASHRAE have jointly developed a full day data center awareness training curriculum. This training can be hosted by various government, utility, or industry organizations and is taught by ASHRAE and/or LBNL trainers.
Data Center Energy Practitioner Program (DCEP)
The Department of Energy's DCEP program trains professionals to perform accurate energy assessments in data centers.
DC Pro Software Tool Suite
The Department of Energy's Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) DC Pro software helps organizations identify and evaluate energy efficiency opportunities in data centers.
Portfolio Manager
ENERGY STAR's Portfolio Manager tool can be used to benchmark data center energy use and to receive ENERGY STAR recognition for top performing data centers.
Apps.Gov
The General Services Administration's source for cloud computing applications, including business apps, productivity apps, social media apps, and cloud IT services.