Introduction for Public-Sector Data Centers
Data Centers are among the most energy-intensive facilities in the Federal Sector (as well as among local and state governmental facilities), having energy use and intensity typically orders of magnitude greater than other buildings. Data centers are also becoming increasingly common across numerous agencies, including DHS, DOD, DOE, EPA, IRS, NIH and others, as agencies cope with the increasing demands of having to handle enormous amounts of data. Previously exempt from executive orders for energy reduction, Federal data centers now must meet federal requirements under EPAct 2005 for 2% energy reductions per year.
As an indication of the importance of public sector computing, many of the top 500 supercomputer centers are Federal or other public facilities.
This guide will assist federal energy managers—and others—in identifying the best solutions for controlling energy use in these high-energy use facilities. The reality is that in the near term, energy use is likely to increase in these buildings, as demands for more computing power increases, but steps taken now can minimize these increases, and help show that facility managers are addressing the goals of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct).
Resources such as this website are particularly important for federal agencies, which are mandated under EPAct to measure and report their facility consumption. The Federal Energy Management Program offers extensive support for energy management at federal facilities, including many items specifically relevant to data centers.