Whatever their global location, IT managers soon may have to self-declare or demonstrate their data center’s compliancy with a regional “Ecolabel” for energy efficiency. For example, the U.S. Energy Star program for data centers or the EU Code of Conduct for Data Centres initiatives have published technical specifications that call for endorsement of best practices. In the case of Energy Star, data center operators entering their information in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) database will get a 1-to-100 rating. A score of 50 indicates average performance; 75 or higher means the facility ranks in the top 25 percent in terms of energy efficiency, qualifying for an Energy Star label.

Seeking certification of an organization’s Power Usage Efficiency (PUE) by The Green Grid is a step in the right direction. But because data centers are so dynamic in nature, tracking energy consumption only when trying to pass a certification requirement doesn’t show the full picture. Without historical data, it may even be difficult to understand why a rating has changed. This points up the need for new operational tools to deliver real-time Ecolabel assessments of the data center, as shown in the figure below.