Embedded Data Centers: A Hidden Savings Opportunity (ENERGY STAR)

Overview

This guidance is a web page published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR programme. It deals with embedded data centres, meaning server rooms, closets and small localised data centres. The page defines them as data center spaces with less than 50 kW of IT load, including some mid-tier facilities. ENERGY STAR states that roughly half of data center energy use, about 1% of US generation, is in embedded data centers.

The guidance explains why these spaces are overlooked: they are rarely metered separately, which hides their energy cost, and it lists split incentives, risk aversion and lack of resources. The recommendation is to consolidate workloads into colocation, cloud or a standalone facility; this can save cooling and infrastructure energy and remove supplemental HVAC maintenance. Metering is therefore treated as the first step in making the savings opportunity visible.

Where consolidation is not possible, the page points to the 5 basic and 16 additional ENERGY STAR measures. It also links an ENERGY STAR colocation best-practice flyer and cites NIST SP 800-145 for cloud definitions. As a limit, this is a web page with no publication date and its content was not archived locally. It is guidance, not a detailed calculation method. The page should therefore be read as a practical starting point and checklist.

Key points

1. Embedded data centers have less than 50 kW of IT load and include server rooms, closets and some mid-tier facilities.
2. ENERGY STAR states roughly half of data center energy use, about 1% of US generation, is in embedded data centers.
3. Embedded data centers are rarely metered separately, hiding their energy cost.
4. Moving workloads to colocation or cloud can save cooling and infrastructure energy and remove supplemental HVAC maintenance.
5. Reasons they are overlooked: no separate metering, split incentives, risk aversion, lack of resources.
6. If consolidation is not possible, 5 basic and 16 additional ENERGY STAR measures apply.

Using it in design

• Add a 'server room / embedded (<50 kW IT)' project template with prompts for sub-metering and a consolidation-vs-retrofit comparison.
• Use the 50 kW threshold to switch on small-room guidance and simplified PUE estimation.
• Compare consolidation and in-place retrofit side by side on cost and energy.
• Remind the client of the importance of separate energy metering.

Who should read it

IT and facility managers running small server rooms and designers deciding between consolidation and retrofit.

Related standards

• NIST SP 800-145

Publication details

Authors

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Publisher

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (ENERGY STAR)

Year

2026

Document language

English

Source type

Government / public

Access

Free to read

Licence

U.S. public domain — U.S. Government work; free to reuse

Citation