New energy rating system for data centres

August 31st, 2013

Peter Nolan

The Australian Government is mulling the release a new national energy rating system aimed at providing clearer consumer advice on the energy efficiency of data centres.

The system, the National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS), is adopted from the building industry and use a six star rating system, similar to that given to televisions and whitegoods, to rate ICT equipment, data centre infrastructure or both.

According to the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency’s Shane Holt, the system, which was soft launched in February, is slated to begin on a voluntary basis in 2016, with a view to becoming mandatory two years later.

Speaking to an industry session on energy efficiency, Holt said the aim of the system was not to penalise data centre operators with poor energy use, but to better inform data centre users.

“We are not looking to set a minimum standard [of energy efficiency],” he said. “Rather, for those enterprises who are interested in attracting business to their facility should disclose what their energy rating so that apples can be compared to apples.”

The agency intends to work with the IT via the AIIA, and has already begun a consultation process via expression of interest (EOI) and request for quote (RFQ) from data centre providers.

According to Holt, the scheme will begin on a voluntary basis from 2016, with the potential for regulation making the scheme mandatory two years later, depending on industry take-up of NABERS.

“We are talking about 2018; we are talking about potentially disclosure for those enterprise data centres – the people who are out there marketing, ‘come to my data centre because it is good and we’ll show you how good it is using the NABERS tool’,” he said.

“We would like to start that as a voluntary scheme, and like most voluntary schemes those that a very good would embrace it more quickly than those that aren’t, then we would potentially look at regulation.”

A spokesperson at NextDC said that the data centre provider welcomed the scheme, but emphasised that it was preferable that it remain voluntary in order to minimise any administrative burdens.

“We also believe that it is in the best interests of data centres to participate in the scheme, without it needing to be made mandatory,” the spokesperson said.

In NextDC’s view, NABERS was essential in further promoting effective sustainable data centre design, and in ensuring that power usage effectiveness (PUE), as measured under the NABERS rating tool, was applied as a consistent standard of measurement.

“Currently, the way PUE is measured varies widely, meaning the ratings published are not comparable,” the spokesperson said. “Under the NABERS scheme, the ratings will be based on set measured readings over the course of a year, and all of those readings will be used in calculating a PUE.

“Expectantly, this will prompt companies to devise better long-term strategies around energy efficiency, ultimately leading to greater efficiency, lower carbon emissions and better control of costs to end users.”

Source Article from http://www.zdnet.com/new-energy-rating-system-for-data-centres-7000020087/