Is Your Data Centre Ready
Meet the new requirements of the European Energy Efficiency Directive
2024 is a landmark year for data centre operators. On May 15, data centres of at least 500kW of installed IT systems were introduced to new reporting requirements mandated by the European Energy Efficiency Directive (EED). And while the EED only applies to data centres in the European Union and European Economic Area, it will likely influence the rollout of similar regulations in global markets.
Annual Reporting of Data Required from May 2024
The EED requires reporting of performance metrics from data centres surpassing 500 kW. May 2024’s report required annual data to be collected from the preceding year, May 2023 onwards.1
Operators will have a level of sustainability reporting in place already, yet the European Commission calls for more granular data. Key metrics required for reporting include installed power, energy demand, waste heat utilisation, water usage effectiveness (WUE) and power usage effectiveness (PUE).
Why are the specific calculations needed? A primary goal of the EED is to reduce energy use by 11.7% in Europe by 2030. The target lines up with the EU’s 2030 climate target: a 55% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to 1990 levels. Both targets are steps to realising the EU’s ambition of becoming “the first climate-neutral continent” by 2050.2
Still, obstacles and challenges are expected, and more effort is needed on the road to net zero. According to the European Union, data centre energy consumption leaped by 42% between 2010 and 2018, with a further rise of 28.2% projected by 2030.3
In its 2023 Tracking Clean Energy Progress (TCEP) report, the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimated that data centres accounted for 1–1.3% of global energy consumption in 2022.4
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Are you ready for the European Energy Efficiency Directive? Discover capabilities to help you maximisereporting, uptime and efficiency.
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What Comes Next
To comply with the EED, data centre operators must report on key operational factors – for example, measuring water usage in relation to energy consumption. Energy audits should be conducted to report a site’s overall efficiency and identify areas for improvement.
Looking forward, the European Commission is developing a rating scheme based on the data reported through the EED. This scheme will encourage stakeholders to compare the performance of data centres across the industry, informing new standards and policies.
The EED marks a fundamental shift towards more detailed reporting, where compliance is built into building controls and electrical monitoring systems. Data centre operators have a personal stake in f utureproofing their systems. Not only does it help to be prepared for stringent reporting requirements, but it also adds pressure to manage energy and costs now.
Future-Proofing Data Centre Systems
To be considered futureproof, systems must be designed to accommodate evolving demands. Control strategies should prioritise flexibility, scalability, energy management and resilience. Data centre operators that take this approach stand to benefit from digitalised operations, optimised costs and extended service reliability for users.
In this case, a Building Energy Management System (BEMS) offers site-wide visibility into data centre assets. This enables operators to meet EED requirements while providing a platform for deeper reporting.
Data can be aggregated into customisable dashboards, where managers can easily review information and technicians can dive deeper into the data sets. The BEMS’ alarms and logging system automatically flags anomalies and notifies the operator. Further areas for optimisation can be identified to help boost energy efficiency.
Surging Demand for Granular Reporting Draws DC Operators
Energy management remains a major concern for most DC operators. The ability to analyse data from specific systems gives insight into how the entire data centre operates. A solid foundation is already in p lace to turn the new EED requirements into potential benefits.
With a BEMS installed, operators can assess which systems consume the most energy and whether that aligns with historical data trends. When things don’t add up, it could be a sign of ageing equipment due for an upgrade or a fault that needs to be addressed. In either case, swift action must happen to resolve the inefficiency and prevent energy waste.
For complete system optimisation, a BEMS can integrate with existing systems and work with traditional or third-party components. Analytics software is available to enhance KPI tracking with automated reporting, flexible dashboard views and specialist energy tools. Advanced capabilities offer r emote visibility and control on all aspects of operation.
Although the EED’s new reporting requirements bring an element of disruption to our industry, the challenge is not necessarily a bad thing: in fact, it could be exactly what a data centre needs to be more a daptable, sustainable and fit for the future.
Trend Can Help You
Data centre owners have turned to us for decades to help manage risks and protect access to critical data. With global support from Partners in 50+ countries, we are a trusted provider for many of the world’s leading data centre operators.
Trend BEMS are designed with best-in-class DDC (Direct Digital Controller) and PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) hardware components from globally established brands, including Trend IQ5. Coupled with IQVISION, Trend systems offer effective KPI tracking through specialist energy tools, convenient and compliant reporting functions and data-led performance insights.
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Need a winning solution for your data centre? Discover capabilities to meet reporting requirements and keep your site running continuously.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gareth Rutter
Gareth is an Intelligent Buildings Solution Architect and UK&I Sales Leader at Trend Control Systems Ltd. Part of Honeywell Building Automation.
Connect with Gareth: gareth.rutter@honeywell.com
References
1. European Union. DIRECTIVE (EU) 2023/1791 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTAND OF THE COUNCIL of 13 September 2023 on energy efficiency and amendingRegulation (EU) 2023/955 (recast) (Text with EEA relevance). Published September 20, 2023. Accessed February 9, 2024. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ%3AJOL_2023_231_R_0001&qid=16951865987662
2. European Commission. 2030 climate targets.Published September 17, 2020. Accessed July 03, 2024. https://climate.ec.europa.eu/eu-action/climate-strategies-targets/2030-climate-targets_en
9¡ European Union. Energy-efficient cloud computing technologies and policies for an eco-friendly cloud market.
Published May 2020. Accessed July 03, 2024. https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/bf276684-32bd-11eb-b27b-01aa75ed71a1/language-en/format-PDF/source-177293497
4. The IEA. Data.Centres.and.Data.Transmission.Networks¡.Published July 11, 2023. Accessed July 04, 2024. https://www.iea.org/energy-system/buildings/data-centres-and-data-transmission-networks
