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If a data center operator does not publish site-level utility totals, you may still be able to find official reporting or build a carefully qualified estimate—but a certification, efficiency ratio, portfolio total, or national projection is not the facility’s measured annual use. Start by identifying the exact facility and operator, then check records for its jurisdiction and inspect how any disclosed figures are scoped.
Start by identifying the exact facility
Before searching for energy or water figures, establish which campus, building, and operator you mean. Large operators may run multiple sites under similar names, and a campus may contain several buildings. Record the facility’s public name, location, owner or operator, and any known construction or certification history. Use those details to avoid confusing a nearby site or a portfolio-wide disclosure with the facility you are investigating.
Check official records for the facility’s location
U.S. ENERGY STAR records
Search the EPA’s ENERGY STAR certified data center list for the facility name, owner, and state. The listing can help confirm identity and may show floor area, construction year, and certification years. EPA displays only the state to address security concerns. Certification is an efficiency signal and a useful research lead; it is not an annual electricity or water bill.
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EU data center reporting
For a site in the EU, check the European Commission’s data center reporting database for a public record. The reporting framework covers energy performance and water footprint for data centers within scope under the Energy Efficiency Directive and Delegated Regulation 2024/1364. The regulation calls for measuring water entering the data center boundary and used in relation to its functions, and identifying the WUE category used. Read the record for its reporting year, facility boundary, and metric category rather than assuming it describes every building on a campus or every year of operation. The delegated regulation’s text sets out the reporting requirements.
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Read operator disclosures without turning portfolio totals into site totals
Search the operator’s sustainability reports and regulatory filings. For each figure, note the reporting year, assets included, whether the operator manages or leases them, whether the boundary is one facility or a portfolio, and whether the value is measured, estimated, or externally assured.
For example, Digital Realty’s SEC filing for 2024 describes energy data coverage for managed assets, energy categories, and water sourcing and efficiency. That context matters: a portfolio figure cannot be allocated to a named site unless a defensible method supports the allocation. Do not divide a portfolio total by the number of sites or attribute it to one facility simply because the operator owns or manages that facility.
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Use public building datasets cautiously
The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) does not offer a separate category for standalone data center buildings; they are grouped in “Other.” EIA’s 2018 data center pilot concluded that a high-quality frame and industry cooperation would be needed to produce statistically valid data center building estimates. Water consumption data was not collected in 2018. CBECS therefore should not be presented as a current, standalone estimate for a named data center. See the EIA data center pilot information.
Estimate only when you can explain the method
When no facility-level disclosure is available, an estimate is useful only if its inputs and limits are clear. State the site boundary, period, location, method, assumptions, and uncertainty. Keep modeled results separate from measured utility totals.
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Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s national analysis illustrates the distinction: it models data center energy using planned IT equipment shipment data, per-device electricity models, cooling simulations, facility types, and locations. That approach can inform a national estimate, but it is not a meter reading for an individual facility. The lab’s 2025 United States Data Center Energy Usage Report estimates that data centers could use 11.8% of total U.S. electricity by 2030, with modeled scenarios ranging from 9.5% to 15.3%. These are national projections, not measurements of a specific site.
National figures provide context, not a shortcut to a facility estimate. The U.S. Department of Energy reported a national data center electricity estimate of 58 TWh in 2014 and 176 TWh in 2023, with a projected range of 325–580 TWh in 2028. Those figures are national estimates and projections, not site-level data. See DOE’s 2024 summary.
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Understand what PUE and WUE do—and do not—tell you
Power usage effectiveness (PUE) and water usage effectiveness (WUE) describe efficiency as ratios; neither independently reveals a facility’s absolute annual consumption. The U.S. Department of Energy defines them as:
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- WUE: annual site water usage in liters divided by annual IT equipment energy in kWh.
For its data center rating method, EPA’s ENERGY STAR methodology measures IT energy at the UPS output. A ratio is only interpretable when you know its period, boundary, and underlying inputs. To calculate total facility energy from PUE, for example, you also need the corresponding IT energy for the same period and scope. The definitions and guidance are in DOE’s federal data center cooling-water efficiency guidance and EPA’s ENERGY STAR data center methodology.
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- INSTALLS IN CIRCUIT PANEL of most homes with clamp-on sensors. Supports Single phase, Single-split phase, and 2-wire systems. 3-wire systems; 3-phase, 4-wire Wye systems with earthed (TN or TT) neutral (no-Delta) are supported with an additional 200A sensor (sold separately).
- 24/7 ENERGY MANAGEMENT AND MONITORING: Automate, manage and control your home's real power anywhere, anytime to prevent costly repairs, conserve energy, and save costs. Monitor solar / net metering. PROTECTED BY A 1-YEAR WARRANTY.
- LOWER YOUR ELECTRIC BILL: Configure settings in the Emporia Energy App to automate energy management for time of use, peak demand, excess solar, and rewards programs. You can even see live reporting and invaluable savings opportunities instantly. Gauge real-time spending and get actionable notifications and automated energy management to help you reduce costs.
- REAL-TIME ENERGY DATA: REQUIRES 2.4 GHz WIFI WITH AN INTERNET CONNECTION to monitor energy use with iPhone / Android / Web app. Vue sensors collect energy data and are accurate from ±2%. The Vue is UL and CE Listed for your safety. 1 second data is only available in the app (when actively open) and retained 3 hours. Minute and hour data are retained in the cloud. 1 minute data is retained 7 days, 1 hour data is retained indefinitely. Export cloud data whenever you want in the app.
Do not infer water use from PUE alone or apply one generic WUE to every facility. Cooling system design and local climate matter. DOE notes that, for facilities using cooling towers, water consumption is related to heat load and the efficiency of heat removal.
Make comparisons on a like-for-like basis
Before comparing two figures, check that they describe comparable data and boundaries:
- Time and place: align reporting years and geographic boundaries.
- Facility or portfolio: distinguish a named site from an operator-wide aggregate; identify managed and leased assets where the disclosure does.
- Energy boundary: separate total facility energy from IT energy, and check which energy sources are included.
- Water boundary: distinguish direct site water from a broader or indirect water footprint; note the source, including potable or non-potable water where reported.
- Evidence type: label values as measured or modeled, and note uncertainty, data coverage, or external assurance.
- Absolute use or efficiency: do not compare PUE or WUE as if either were an annual consumption total.
What to conclude when no site figure is public
If you find a certification, a portfolio report, or a national estimate but no facility-level utility total, say exactly that: a public site-specific figure was not found in the records checked. You can report the related evidence with its scope and date, but do not present it as the facility’s actual energy or water use. Public facility-level disclosure varies by jurisdiction, reporting scope, and operator; absence of a public figure does not establish that the operator has no such data internally.
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