Organizations participating in the Data Center Accelerator committed to reducing the infrastructure energy intensity of one or more of their data centers by 25% over a period of five years. Federal agencies, national laboratories, higher education facilities, and private businesses worked with DOE to meter and track both their IT and infrastructure energy usage and developed creative and cost-effective energy efficiency improvements to reach their energy savings goals. On average, partners achieved a 36% improvement in their data center’s infrastructure energy surpassing the Accelerator’s original goal, resulting in $3.9 million in annual cost savings.
Better Buildings hosts interactive webinars featuring a variety of topics exploring cost-effective ways for organizations to integrate energy savings into their daily building operations. All Better Buildings webinars are free to attend.
Watch all previously recorded webinars in the On-Demand Webinars library sorted by popular topics such as resilience, zero energy buildings, and more.
Learn about the great work of the Data Center Partners in the Better Buildings Challenge. Access proven solutions and other helpful resources for data centers.
Featured Solutions
This toolkit addresses specific barriers and solutions for energy management in 5 primary data center types, including real-world examples for each. It collects guidance, factsheets, best practices, and other resources based on the work of DOE's Better Buildings Data Center Accelerator.
To achieve and maintain lasting operational efficiency at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing (NERSC) Center, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) developed a sophisticated data analytics (ODA) system – Operations Monitoring and Notification Infrastructure (OMNI) to provide key operational insights about the data centers performance and energy efficiency.
In order to maintain the facility's net-zero energy status, NREL improved the efficiency of the Research Support Facility's data center by upgrading outdated IT equipment, consolidating blade centers, and improving the metering system among other best practices. As a result, the data center achieved an 84% reduction in PUE.
This guide intends to help data center owners and operators implement a metering system that allows their organizations to gather the necessary data for effective decision-making and energy-efficiency improvements.
Other Resources
Presentation
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) boasts the most energy efficient data center in the world. This presentation describes the data center, its energy efficient features, and how it was built.
Report
This report explores air management best practices in small data centers under 5,000 square feet. Good air management in data centers is not only imperative for energy efficiency but also for managing the thermal environment and ensuring equipment reliability.
Showcase Project
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s (LBNL) enterprise data center used for in-house needs and scientific computing, was rebuilt in the mid-1990s and has continued to undergo a series of transitions and energy efficiency upgrades to meet increased demand.
Toolkits
This toolkit addresses specific barriers and solutions for energy management in 5 primary data center types, including real-world examples for each. It collects guidance, factsheets, best practices, and other resources based on the work of DOE's Better Buildings Data Center Accelerator.
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Center of Expertise for Energy Efficiency in Data Centers
The Center of Expertise is located at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). LBNL has long been recognized by industry as a leading source for technical expertise on energy efficiency in data centers. View their available resources, tools and trainings.ASHRAE Paper - Thermosyphon Cooler Hybrid System for Water Savings in an Energy-Efficient HPC Data Center: Modeling and Installation
This paper describes the installation of thermosyphon cooler hybrid systems.NREL's High-Performance Computing Data Center
View information about NREL's high-performance data center and see the center's energy efficiency dashboard as well as other technologies they have implemented.
Partners
- Argonne National LaboratoryEnvironmental Molecular Sciences LaboratoryGeorgia Institute of TechnologyIndiana UniversityLawrence Berkeley National LabLawrence Livermore National LaboratoryLos Alamos National LaboratoryNASA Armstrong Flight Research CenterNational Energy Research Scientific Computing CenterNational Renewable Energy LaboratoryOak Ridge National LaboratoryState of MichiganThe Home DepotU.S. Department of Defense - Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA)U.S. Department of Justice – Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA)University of ColoradoWaste Management
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Illinois
Argonne National LaboratoryVirginia
U.S. Department of Defense - Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA)Georgia
The Home DepotGeorgia Institute of TechnologyMaryland
U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA)California
National Energy Research Scientific Computing CenterLawrence Berkeley National LabNASA Armstrong Flight Research CenterLawrence Livermore National LaboratoryMassachusetts
Colorado
National Renewable Energy LaboratoryUniversity of ColoradoTexas
Waste ManagementNew Mexico
Los Alamos National LaboratoryWashington
Environmental Molecular Sciences LaboratoryDistrict Of Columbia
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)North Carolina
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)Michigan
State of MichiganIndiana
Indiana UniversityTennessee
Oak Ridge National LaboratoryMissouri
U.S. Department of Justice – Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)