Best Practices for Energy Efficient Data Centers Identified Through Case Studies and Demonstration Projects

Energy benchmarking is useful in comparing performance of data center facilities, and can be a powerful tool to help identify why certain energy intensive systems perform better than others. Through studies of over 22 data centers, when analyzing how the better performing systems achieved better efficiency, a number of Best Practices were evident. Five of the Best Practices that can have a large impact on overall energy efficiency in a data center are discussed in detail using benchmark comparisons and examples from case study reports and Utility demonstration projects.

Data center infrastructure is characterized by specialized HVAC and electrical distribution systems which often include redundancy for reliability. How systems are sized, designed, and operated can have a large impact on capital and operating cost. The Best Practices described here can provide guidance for future new or retrofit design.