Definition: Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency refers to the responsible and efficient use of energy sources. The term describes the relationship between the performance delivered and the energy input required for it. Simply put, it’s about achieving higher performance with lower energy consumption. This includes not only reducing energy consumption but also avoiding energy losses through improved technologies and optimized processes.
Benefits for Environment and Economy
Energy efficiency has far-reaching impacts on two central areas of our society: environment and economy. In the environmental context, higher energy efficiency significantly contributes to reducing CO2 emissions. Through reduced energy consumption, the demand for fossil fuels decreases, minimizing greenhouse gas emissions.
In economic terms, energy efficiency also plays a crucial role as it helps companies reduce energy costs and increase their competitiveness. More efficient operational processes also enable innovations and open up new markets, especially for sustainable products and services.
Furthermore, energy efficiency offers societal benefits as it contributes to reducing dependence on energy imports and thus improves energy security. A more stable energy policy protects economies from price fluctuations in international energy markets.
Energy efficiency is also an essential factor in achieving climate protection goals.
Energy Efficiency of Data Centers
Energy efficiency and sustainability are becoming increasingly important in the data center industry. Evidence of this is the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact, which aims to operate data centers climate-neutrally by 2030 at the latest.
At the EU level, there are comprehensive initiatives from two ministries (DG ENER & DG CONNECT) that deal with data centers as “energy-intensive objects”. These measures are intended to contribute to the implementation of the EU Commission’s Green Deal.
The Energy Efficiency Act
On November 17, 2023, the Energy Efficiency Act (EnEfG) was passed and published. It obliges authorities, energy-intensive companies, and data centers to further reduce their energy consumption. It also defines far-reaching requirements for energy-efficient operation of data centers.
Energy-Intensive Companies Under Obligation
All companies that consume more than 7.5 gigawatt hours of energy annually must implement an energy or environmental management system. Companies with an annual energy consumption of more than 2.5 gigawatt hours are obliged to plan economical energy efficiency measures and make them publicly accessible. In addition, companies should avoid generating waste heat during production. If this is not possible, the resulting waste heat must be used efficiently.
Requirements for Data Centers
For the first time, energy efficiency standards for new data centers have been established. Additionally, data centers should be cooled in a particularly energy-efficient manner. Efficiency requirements are also coming into effect for existing data centers.
Operators are encouraged to use waste heat sensibly to achieve energy savings. Moreover, large data centers should increasingly rely on electricity from renewable sources. Operators must enter their energy consumption in a public register and inform their customers about their individual energy consumption.
