2017 Best Practice Guidelines for the EU Code of Conduct on Data Centre Energy Efficiency - Version 8.1.0 (JRC104370, EUR 28426 EN)

Overview

The document is the companion to the voluntary EU Code of Conduct for data centres, a market transformation programme running since 2008 with more than 300 data centres joined at publication. The core of the programme is that the participant carries out an initial energy audit, prepares and implements an action plan and monitors energy consumption. The guidelines are presented as an educational and reference document that helps operators identify and implement efficiency measures and gives a common terminology. IT service customers or suppliers can also ask for or provide the list of practices implemented in a data centre as part of procurement.

Practices are grouped under utilisation, management and planning; IT equipment and services; cooling; power equipment; other equipment; building; monitoring; plus two supplementary sections. Each practice has an "expected" column: entire data centre (all existing IT, mechanical and electrical equipment), new software install or major upgrade, new or replacement IT equipment, and new build or significant retrofit from 2011. All expected practices apply to any data centre constructed from 2011 onwards. IT equipment moved from another data centre is not expected to comply with the new IT practices.

Practice value is a qualitative scale from 1 to 5 (5 the maximum benefit); the values are not meant to be totalled into an operator score or treated as quantitative. Where a practice cannot be implemented because of physical, logistical, planning or other constraints, the reason is given in the reporting form and alternative practices with similar savings may be named as replacements. The document defines participant types (operator, colocation provider, colocation customer, managed service provider) and areas of responsibility (building, M&E, data floor, cabinets, IT equipment, operating system, software, business practices) and distinguishes implementing from endorsing.

On temperature and humidity the 2017 edition draws a clear, durable line. Practice 4.1.3 (value 5) asks that new IT be within warranty for 10-35 C inlet and -12 C dew point and 8% RH to 27 C dew point and 80% RH (the ASHRAE A2 allowable range); where A2 equipment cannot be procured, 4.1.2 requires at least 15-32 C (A1) and the equipment to be segregated in a separate area. Practice 5.3.1 (value 4) asks that the facility be designed and operated to deliver IT intake air in the 10-35 C range. Cabinet doors are expected to have at least 66% perforated area (5.1.6), with 80% named as an ideal target.

What marks the 2017 edition is its forward plan. Section 10 lists two practices that become minimum expected in 2018: 5.1.14 (operate cooling unit fans against IT air flow demand to limit recirculation without oversupply; in contained systems at most 5 Pa positive pressure in the cold stream relative to the hot stream) and 5.1.15 (install free cooling in all new builds and retrofits). Practice 5.3.5 (technical areas as industrial space) appears here as a separate practice. As a historical baseline, the document lets a reader compare how expectations changed in later annual editions; it is a single-year snapshot of a catalogue that is updated every year.

Key points

1. Practice values run from 1 to 5 (5 = maximum benefit) and are not intended to be summed into a score.
2. All expected practices apply to any data centre constructed from 2011 onwards; expectation types are existing equipment, new IT, new software and new build or retrofit.
3. 4.1.3 (value 5): new IT within warranty for 10-35 C inlet and -12 C DP/8% RH to 27 C DP/80% RH (ASHRAE A2 allowable).
4. 4.1.2: where A2 equipment cannot be procured, at least 15-32 C inlet (ASHRAE A1 allowable) must be supported and legacy equipment segregated on the data floor.
5. 5.3.1 (value 4): design and operate the facility to deliver IT intake air in the 10-35 C range, reducing or eliminating overcooling.
6. 5.1.6: cabinet doors need at least 66% perforated area, with 80% considered ideal.
7. 3.3.3: provision power and cooling for a maximum of 18 months of data floor capacity (modular expansion) to avoid excess fixed losses.
8. Section 10 lists 5.1.14 (supplied air flow control) and 5.1.15 (free cooling installation) as becoming minimum expected in 2018.
9. 5.3.5: technical areas should be treated as industrial space designed for reliable and efficient IT service, not human comfort.
10. Participants with partial control implement or endorse practices according to their areas of responsibility.

Using it in design

• Store the best practice edition and version against each design so the compliance checker evaluates practices from the edition in force at design date (8.1.0 for 2017 projects).
• Use 4.1.3 and 5.3.1 to drive default inlet set-point ranges (10-35 C, A2) and flag A1-only equipment for segregated zones.
• In the rack catalogue warn if door perforation is below 66%.
• For new builds and retrofits assess free cooling feasibility per 5.1.15 and design cooling unit fan control against IT air flow per 5.1.14.
• Prepare a modular expansion plan that limits provisioned power and cooling to at most 18 months of data floor capacity (3.3.3).

Who should read it

Code of Conduct participants, design engineers and anyone analysing compliance expectations of the 2017 period.

Document contents

1. Document Information
2. Introduction
3. Role of Best Practices
4. Expected Minimum Practices
5. Value of Practices
6. Applicability of Expected Practices
7. Type of Participant
8. Participants who do not control the entire data centre
9. Data Centre Utilisation, Management and Planning
10. IT Equipment and Services
11. Cooling
12. Data Centre Power Equipment
13. Other Data Centre Equipment
14. Data Centre Building
15. Monitoring
16. Practices to become minimum expected
17. Items under Consideration

Related standards

• EN 50600-4-2
• EN 50600-4-3
• ISO/IEC 30134-2
• ASHRAE TC9.9 Thermal Guidelines

Read the document

Publication details

Authors

Mark Acton; Paolo Bertoldi; John Booth; Sophia Flucker; Liam Newcombe; Andre Rouyer

Publisher

European Commission JRC

Year

2017

Document number

EUR 28426 EN / JRC104370

Document language

English

Source type

Government / public

Access

Open licence — downloadable

DOI

10.2760/044571

Licence

EU reuse (2011/833/EU) — reuse permitted with acknowledgement of the source

Licence evidence

op.europa.eu

Citation