PUE: A Comprehensive Examination of the Metric (ASHRAE Datacom Series Book 11, with The Green Grid)

Overview

This work is Datacom Series Book 11 (product code 90282, 2014), a joint publication of ASHRAE TC 9.9 and The Green Grid. The book gathers the concepts, measurement, reporting and analysis of the PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) metric in one place. PUE was developed by The Green Grid and first published in 2007; the book is positioned as a comprehensive reference that consolidates what has been issued since.

The scope goes beyond the basic PUE calculation. It covers partial PUE, mixed-use and specialised facilities, and the reuse of waste heat. This sheds light on how PUE should be interpreted not only in a single-purpose, single-tenant data centre but also in buildings shared with offices or other functions and in facilities that recover heat. The book supersedes and consolidates all earlier Green Grid PUE white papers, and its definitions are harmonised globally. It therefore serves as the definitive reference for users who meet inconsistent wording across different documents. Related standards include ISO/IEC 30134-2 and EN 50600-4-2.

Green Grid members can download it from the workspace for personal use at no charge, while other readers buy it from the ASHRAE bookstore. This record is based on catalogue and library-page descriptions rather than the book's content, so detailed method and limitations cannot be reported here; the book itself should be consulted for those.

Key points

1. ASHRAE Datacom Series Book 11, product code 90282.
2. PUE was developed by The Green Grid and first published in 2007.
3. The book consolidates PUE concepts, measurement, reporting and analysis.
4. It covers partial PUE, mixed-use and specialised facilities, and waste-heat reuse.
5. It supersedes all earlier Green Grid PUE white papers and harmonises definitions globally.
6. Green Grid members can download it free for personal use; others purchase it from the ASHRAE bookstore.
7. Related standards: ISO/IEC 30134-2 and EN 50600-4-2.

Using it in design

• In the PUE calculator, support partial PUE and measurement categories.
• For mixed-use buildings, separate the data centre portion before calculating PUE.
• For facilities with waste-heat recovery, treat heat reuse following the approach in this reference.
• In PUE reports, state definitions and measurement points consistent with ISO/IEC 30134-2 and EN 50600-4-2.

Who should read it

Data centre engineers who calculate PUE, plan metering or report energy efficiency.

Related standards

• ISO/IEC 30134-2
• EN 50600-4-2

Publication details

Authors

ASHRAE TC 9.9; The Green Grid

Publisher

ASHRAE / The Green Grid

Year

2014

Document number

Datacom Series Book 11 (product 90282)

Document language

English

Source type

Standard

Access

Citation only

Licence

Copyright retained; citation only — the publisher’s terms apply to the original document

Citation