August 24, 2007—A new report from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows that data centers in the US have the potential to save up to $4 billion in annual electricity costs through more energy- efficient equipment and operations, and the broad implementation of best management practices.
The “Report to Congress on Server and Data Center Energy Efficiency” recommends priority efficiency opportunities and policies that can also lead to additional savings using state-of-the-art technologies and operations.
EPA defines data centers as facilities that contain IT equipment (computing, networking, and data storage equipment), as well as power and cooling infrastructure. They are part of our critical national infrastructure, found in nearly every sector of the economy, including banking and financial services, media, manufacturing, transportation, education, health care, and government.
According to the report, data centers consumed about 60 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) in 2006, roughly 1.5 percent of total US electricity consumption. The report also found that the energy consumption of servers and data centers has doubled in the past five years and is expected to almost double again in the next five years to more than 100 billion kWh, costing about $7.4 billion annually.
Existing technologies and strategies could reduce typical server energy use by an estimated 25 percent, with even greater energy savings possible with advanced technologies, says the report.
For more information and a copy of the report, visit the EPA Web site.
