by Brianna Crandall — October 10, 2014—The U.S. Department of Energy recently announced the first data center owners and operators who have committed to reduce their energy use by at least 20% over the next decade through the Better Buildings Challenge. Data centers consumed about 100 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity in the United States last year, and that number is expected to grow as more information is shared and stored online, notes DOE.
The 19 new partners joining the Better Buildings Challenge include national laboratories, federal agencies, Michigan State University, and private companies: CoreSite Realty Corporation, Digital Realty, ebay inc., The Home Depot, Schneider Electric and Staples. These partners are pledging to improve the efficiency of data centers that altogether are currently consuming more than 90 megawatts of power.
Similar to other partners in the Better Buildings Challenge, new data center partners commit to reducing their energy use by 20% and improving the efficiency of the infrastructure across their building portfolio. These upgrades will complement the installation of new emerging information technology (IT) systems or technologies. Half of the energy supplied to a typical data center is used in the cooling and power infrastructure, such as management of air flow and optimization of controls, notes DOE.
In the first year, partners will share their results, report on the associated energy and cost savings, and will also develop an energy metering plan, a showcase project and implementation model. These solutions will be made available on the Better Buildings Challenge Web site.
As a cornerstone of President Obama’s Climate Action Plan, the Better Buildings Challenge supports the goal of doubling American energy productivity by 2030 while motivating corporate and public sector leaders across the country to save energy through commitments and investments. Currently, more than 200 organizations are partnering with DOE to achieve 20% portfolio-wide energy savings and share successful strategies that will maximize efficiency over the next decade. Challenge partners have completed upgrades to more than 9,000 facilities, with 2,100 buildings improving efficiency by least 20%, and another 4,500 by at least 10%, compared to their baseline years.
