Environmental Sustainability Management (ESM) Software for Colocation Data Centers

Overview

The paper positions ESM as the fourth pillar of data-centre management: BMS for mechanical and electrical systems, DCIM for the physical infrastructure of the IT space, EPMS for electrical distribution metering. The driver is regulatory and investor pressure: over 40 countries require GHG reporting, and a provider's Scope 1 and 2 emissions are a significant source of tenants' Scope 3. In a cited survey, 80% of C-level executives struggle with coordinated sustainability planning, 59% lack a global view of data and only 12% of collected data is used.

The platform has four core functions: capture data, harmonise and validate it, analyse it, and support decisions and reporting. The second must normalise across units, time zones, currencies, languages and polling intervals and flag gross outliers for manual review. Five desirable attributes include cloud delivery, invoice-management services and support for frameworks such as GRESB. Those metrics include PUE, REF and ERF for energy, WUE for water and CUE for emissions, so the platform data model must carry quantities beyond kWh, such as m3 and kg CO2e.

The paper reproduces the 23-metric set from WP 67: energy 5, GHG 9, water 4, waste 4, land and biodiversity 1, with recommended counts of 11, 18 and 23 for beginning, advanced and leading maturity. Its design value is in defining which metrics and metering points a new facility should report from day one; sub-meters linking tenant spaces to IT-space meters or DCIM data support auditable billing and can supply tenants with Scope 3 data.

Key points

1. ESM is the 4th pillar beside BMS (mechanical/electrical), DCIM (IT-space physical infrastructure) and EPMS (electrical distribution metering).
2. Over 40 countries require GHG reporting; a provider's Scope 1 and 2 emissions are a significant source of tenants' Scope 3.
3. Cited survey: 80% of C-level executives struggle with coordinated planning, 59% lack a global data view, only 12% of collected data is used.
4. 23 metrics in 5 categories: energy (5), GHG (9), water (4), waste (4), land and biodiversity (1); recommended counts are 11 beginning, 18 advanced, 23 leading.
5. Energy metrics include total kWh, PUE, renewable kWh, REF and ERF; water metrics total site water (m3) and WUE (m3/kWh); GHG metrics location- and market-based Scope 2 and CUE.
6. The platform must normalise units, time zones, currencies, languages and polling intervals, and flag gross outliers for manual review.
7. Sub-metering that links IT-space meters or DCIM data to tenant spaces enables auditable billing and can supply tenants with Scope 3 data.

Using it in design

• In the metering plan generator, confirm meters exist to produce the chosen maturity tier's metric set: total facility kWh, IT kWh for PUE, renewable kWh, site water m3 for WUE, reused energy for ERF.
• Add per-tenant sub-metering points to colocation layouts.
• Tag catalogue meters with measured quantity and unit, and flag designs where WUE or ERF cannot be computed.
• Export metrics with units and maturity-tier labels, and use a tooltip to distinguish location-based from market-based Scope 2.

Who should read it

Colocation operators and designers planning the metering and reporting backbone of a new facility.

Related standards

• ISO/IEC 30134-2
• ISO/IEC 30134-8
• ISO/IEC 30134-9
• GHG Protocol

Publication details

Authors

Patrick Donovan

Publisher

Schneider Electric

Year

2022

Document number

WP 54

Document language

English

Source type

Manufacturer

Access

Free to read

Licence

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

Citation