Seminar for operations managers, sustainability officers, energy managers, and planners
Data Center Sustainability & Efficiency
From the German Energy Efficiency Act to proof: KPIs, maturity model, waste heat reuse, and energy management for today’s data center operation
At a glance
In five days, you learn which obligations the German Energy Efficiency Act and the European reporting obligation impose on your data center, how to measure and report the KPIs according to EN 50600-4-x, and which measures, from waste heat reuse to an energy management system, help you meet the requirements.
You can then justify your sustainability strategy with figures, to management, auditors, and authorities.
Legal framework and technology
The seminar connects the legal framework with the technology: the obligations under the German Energy Efficiency Act (EnEfG) and the European reporting obligation, the KPIs of EN 50600-4-x from PUE to water usage, the maturity model according to CLC/TS 50600-5-1, the Blauer Engel ecolabel, and the EU Code of Conduct.
From IT to the management system
The measures build on this: sustainable IT architecture, design and construction with a life cycle assessment, building automation and energy monitoring, waste heat reuse, cooling and standby power concepts, and energy and environmental management according to ISO 50001, ISO 14001, and EMAS.
Footprint and potential analysis
All trainers come from real projects: from auditing and certification, from design and construction, from building automation and energy monitoring, and from energy and environmental management. In group work, you calculate the emissions of a data center and prepare a sustainability potential analysis for your own operation.
Why Sustainability & Efficiency?
The German Energy Efficiency Act sets deadlines and limits for data centers.
If you understand the KPIs before you report them, you know which measuring point counts and which measure moves the KPI.
This saves you a report based on the wrong measuring point and protects you from retrofitting under time pressure once the limits apply. This is exactly where the seminar comes in. It leads from the terms and climate targets through regulation to the KPIs and standards used to measure and prove compliance, and from there to the measures in IT, construction, building automation, and management that enable a data center to meet the requirements.
Limits by commissioning date
Existing data centers must reach a power usage effectiveness of no more than 1.5 from 1 July 2027 and 1.3 from 1 July 2030; data centers that start operation from 1 July 2026 need 1.2 plus a minimum share of reused energy.
Management system and reporting
In addition, the act requires an energy or environmental management system with continuous measurement, the information listed in Annex 3 for the energy efficiency register every year by 31 March, and, from an IT power demand of 500 kilowatts, the report to the European database on data centers by 15 May. In both cases, the calculation is based on the KPIs of the EN 50600-4-x series (act as of 13 November 2023). If the act changes, the seminar covers the status at the time of the seminar.
The limits of PUE
The standard itself sets limits that are not in the act: according to EN 50600-4-2, PUE is a tool for improving a single data center over time, not a measure for comparing different data centers; utilization, Availability Class, and site climate shape the value.
Every kilowatt counts
Every kilowatt of continuous load that is eliminated saves around 1,000 to 2,300 euros in electricity costs per year, depending on the electricity price, according to the calculation used in the seminar.
Who it is for
Who is this seminar for?
Data center operations managers from facility management and IT
who need to meet the obligations under the German Energy Efficiency Act and prove compliance to the register, auditors, and customers.
Sustainability and ESG officers
in companies with their own data center who need reliable KPIs from the data center for the CSRD report and the climate targets.
Data center planners and consultants
who plan and justify energy efficiency, waste heat reuse, and maturity in new builds and existing facilities.
Energy managers and officers for energy or environmental management systems
who introduce or run a system according to ISO 50001, ISO 14001, or EMAS for the data center.
Manufacturers of infrastructure components
whose customers ask about KPIs, refrigerants, and proof of efficiency.
Certifiers and auditors
who assess data centers according to EN 50600, the Blauer Engel ecolabel, or ISO 50001.
We recommend basic knowledge of the disciplines of a data center, for example from the seminar Data Center – General Principles; it is not a requirement. The seminar builds the bridge from reporting obligations to technology and from technology to the figures you report.
Trainers and credentials
Trainers who work on current projects
The trainers on this seminar come from real projects; they have applied what they teach in their own data center projects. Which trainers lead a date depends on the date and format; the content is the same.
Oliver Bartsch
Managing Partner · do-projects GmbH
Senior Consultant · Drees & Sommer SE
Manager · Drees & Sommer SE
Solution Architect DataCenter · Schneider Electric GmbH
Thomas Grüschow
Lead Auditor EN50600 / ISO/IEC22237 · TÜV SÜD Industrie Service GmbH
Chief Education & Alliance Officer · DCE academy
Vendor-neutral
DCE academy does not sell products and does not represent any manufacturer. Its only aim is to pass on knowledge and train people well, with experts who know their subject from ongoing projects. Products are not sold in the seminar.
First-hand standardization work
DCE academy is the exclusive sponsor of the ISO/IEC 22237 working group and is informed about every meeting of the standards committee and its content. Changes to EN 50600 and ISO/IEC 22237 are incorporated into the seminars, often months before publication. Member of the German Datacenter Association.
- Training since 2007
- for the planning, construction, and operation of data centers
- More than 1,000 participants
- with a DCE academy certificate
- More than 25 experts
- among our trainers
- 98% of participants
- rate their seminar as good or very good (feedback forms 2023–2026)
What you will take away
After the seminar you will be able to
distinguish sustainability, climate neutrality, and greenhouse gas neutrality, place the climate targets of the EU and Germany, and calculate the emissions of a data center according to the GHG Protocol in Scope 1, 2, and 3;
assign the obligations under the German Energy Efficiency Act to your data center: PUE requirements and share of reused energy by commissioning date, energy or environmental management system, information obligation and energy efficiency register, and derive the deadlines for your operation;
calculate the KPIs of EN 50600-4-x (PUE, REF, ERF, CER, CUE, WUE), explain their boundaries and measurement categories, and know which KPI the act requires in which report;
apply the maturity model according to CLC/TS 50600-5-1, the Blauer Engel ecolabel, and the EU Code of Conduct as assessment frameworks and place the status of your data center within them;
assess sustainability in IT architecture, hardware procurement, design, and construction: from server efficiency and refurbished hardware to the life cycle assessment of a new build;
place building automation, energy monitoring, and digital twins as tools for measurement, proof, and optimization, and set up a metering concept for the KPIs;
introduce an energy or environmental management system according to ISO 50001, ISO 14001, or EMAS, run it with energy performance indicators, and prepare a sustainability potential analysis with an action plan for your data center.
Content
Six modules
The six modules lead from the terms and regulation through the KPIs and standards to the measures in IT, construction, building automation, and management.
Sustainability is more than climate neutrality, and climate neutrality is not the same as CO2 neutrality. The module clarifies the terms, the targets of the UN, the EU, and Germany, and the accounting of greenhouse gas emissions for a data center.
- Sustainability defined: the UN 2030 Agenda with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals, their consistency from global to regional level, SDG 9 as the main goal for data centers
- Climate neutrality, CO2 neutrality, and greenhouse gas neutrality; the GWP value as the conversion of F‑gases into CO2 equivalents; refrigerants under the EU F‑gas Regulation
- Climate targets: European Climate Law and Green Deal, the German Federal Climate Change Act, the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact as a voluntary commitment of the industry
- Accounting according to the GHG Protocol: Scope 1, 2, and 3; group exercise on the typical emissions of a data center
- Placing sustainability in value systems: conflicting goals between climate protection, the economy, and security, development toward a sustainable market economy
The EU Energy Efficiency Directive reaches the data center through the German Energy Efficiency Act, with limits, a management obligation, and a register. The module sorts the obligations by existing facility and new build, by private and public operator, and shows what has to be reported when.
- European framework: Green Deal, EU Energy Efficiency Directive (EED), and its transposition into German law
- German Energy Efficiency Act: definitions of operator and data center (Section 3), PUE requirements and share of reused energy by commissioning date (Section 11), energy or environmental management system with continuous measurement and certification obligation (Section 12), provisions on fines
- Information obligation and register: information according to Annex 3 every year by 31 March (Section 13), energy efficiency register and transfer to the European database (Section 14), energy consumption per customer (Section 15); guide to the data center register, energy efficiency labeling according to PEERDC; Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1364 from 500 kilowatts with reporting by 15 May
- CSRD and EU Taxonomy: which companies have to report, the six environmental objectives and their application to data centers, the EU Taxonomy Assessment Framework for data centers
The act sets limits, the standard says how to measure. The module explains the KPIs of the EN 50600-4-x series with formula, boundary, and measurement category, and presents the standards used to assess energy efficiency and environmental sustainability.
- Energy balance of a data center and the KPIs PUE (EN 50600-4-2), REF (4-3), ERF (4-6), CER (4-7), CUE (4-8), and WUE (4-9): calculation, value range, structure of the parts
- Relationship between the German Energy Efficiency Act and the KPIs: limits for PUE and ERF, information on PUE, REF, ERF, CER, and WUE according to Annex 3; which KPI in which report
- Reading PUE correctly: boundary and measurement categories, no comparison of different data centers, influence of utilization, Availability Class, and site climate
- Maturity model for energy management and environmental sustainability according to CLC/TS 50600-5-1: five levels, eight elements, assessment and action plan; recommended practices according to CLC/TR 50600-99-1 and 99-2
- Blauer Engel ecolabel for data centers with requirements and limits; EU Code of Conduct for Data Centre Energy Efficiency
Servers are the largest consumers of electricity in IT, and the manufacture of hardware and buildings causes emissions before the first day of operation. The module looks at sustainability in IT architecture, in procurement and service life, and in design and construction with a life cycle assessment.
- Sustainable IT architecture in the layer model: rack intake temperature, server efficiency and service life, on-premises compared with cloud, energy-efficient software (green coding)
- Sustainability in IT and through IT: eight-point plan, remarketing and refurbishing of hardware, case study of an operator, project review on reducing IT power consumption
- Sustainable design and construction: life cycle assessment, modular data centers, sustainable design and construction processes, case studies
- Energy efficiency in design according to EN 50600-1: energy efficiency enablement level before design begins, energy efficiency as a main design objective regardless of the Availability Class
No measurement, no proof: the German Energy Efficiency Act requires continuous measurement of the main components, and every KPI needs a defined measuring point. The module shows how building automation, energy monitoring, and digital twins deliver data and control efficiency.
- Building automation: terms, structure, information flows; contribution to energy and organizational efficiency; why it belongs in the design
- Energy monitoring: building blocks and tools, benefits for efficiency, sustainability, security, and availability
- Metering concept according to EN 50600-1: three granularity levels, measuring points for the KPIs of the 4-x series
- Digital twins in buildings: two types, prerequisites, four phases of introduction, applications by user group
Sustainability becomes a system when it has owners, KPIs, and audits. The module introduces energy and environmental management according to ISO 50001, ISO 14001, and EMAS and concludes with the potential analysis and the technical measures that make the greatest difference in operation.
- Principles of energy and environmental management systems according to ISO 50001, ISO 14001, and EMAS; distinction from and synergies with ESG reporting; responsibility structures in the company
- Introduce, certify, maintain: continual improvement, energy performance indicators (EnPI), internal audits, communication in the team
- Sustainability potential analysis of a data center operation in group work: fields of action, responsibilities, action plan, supporting tools
- Practical implementation: waste heat reuse with the advantages and disadvantages of the approaches and correct accounting, energy alliances, efficiency in the white space and in the cooling plant, standby power concepts and fuels with their environmental footprint
Standards and practice
Standards, laws, regulations
The seminar covers the following standard parts, laws, and regulations:
German Energy Efficiency Act (EnEfG)
Definitions (Section 3), climate-neutral data centers (Section 11), energy and environmental management systems (Section 12), information obligation with Annex 3 (Section 13), energy efficiency register and customer information (Sections 14, 15); act as of 13 November 2023
Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1364
European database on data centers, KPIs according to the methods of the EN 50600-4 series
EU Energy Efficiency Directive (EED)
European framework, transposed in the German Energy Efficiency Act
European Climate Law
Climate targets of the EU under the Green Deal
German Federal Climate Change Act
Climate targets of Germany
CSRD
Sustainability reporting obligation
EU Taxonomy
Six environmental objectives and their application to data centers
EU F‑gas Regulation
Refrigerants and GWP
EN 50600‑1 General concepts
Energy efficiency enablement (Subclause 7.4), design principles for energy efficiency (Subclause 9.2)
EN 50600‑4‑1 to 4‑9
4-1 Overview of key performance indicators, 4-2 PUE, 4-3 REF, 4-6 ERF, 4-7 CER, 4-8 CUE, 4-9 WUE
CLC/TS 50600‑5‑1
Maturity model for energy management and environmental sustainability
CLC/TR 50600‑99‑1 and 99‑2
Recommended practices
ISO 50001
Energy management system
ISO 14001
Environmental management system
EMAS
Environmental management and audit under EU regulation
GHG Protocol
Accounting of greenhouse gas emissions in Scope 1, 2, and 3
Blauer Engel ecolabel for data centers
Requirements and limits
EU Code of Conduct for Data Centre Energy Efficiency
Voluntary framework for energy efficiency
How it works and prerequisites
How does the seminar work?
Seminar times and materials
Five seminar days in person. The first seminar day usually starts at 10:00, the following days at 09:00; the seminar ends at around 17:00, and at around 13:00 on the fifth day. You receive the seminar materials as a PDF in the language in which the seminar is held.
Group work on footprint and potential analysis
Several trainers share the five days by topic. In group work, you calculate the emissions of a data center in Scope 1, 2, and 3 and prepare a sustainability potential analysis with an action plan.
In person
Drinks, coffee, and lunch are included, and there is time to talk with the other participants and with the trainers, who have real project experience.
Exam and certificate
After the seminar, you receive the link to the online exam by email and have one week to take it. When you pass, you receive the seminar certificate, which does not expire and can be verified publicly; you will find the seminar materials and the certificate in DCE Campus.
Prerequisites: Basic knowledge recommended
We recommend basic knowledge of the disciplines of a data center, for example from the seminar Data Center – General Principles; it is not a requirement. Sustainability and ESG officers without a technical background find the bridge to technology in the seminar, and technicians find the bridge to reporting obligations and management systems.
Dates and registration
Choose a date and format
Same content, same price, same certificate in every format.
€6,990 per participant, plus VAT, in every format
- Register
In person · Frankfurt am Main · German
- Register
In person · Munich · German
- Register
In person · Munich · German
No suitable date, or several participants from one company? Thomas Wawra advises you on dates, formats, and framework agreements.
Before you register
Frequently asked questions
Five core obligations: limits for power usage effectiveness (no more than 1.5 from 1 July 2027 and 1.3 from 1 July 2030 for existing data centers; 1.2 plus a share of reused energy for data centers commissioned from 1 July 2026), electricity covered on balance by renewable energy at 50% from 2024 and at 100% from 2027, an energy or environmental management system with continuous measurement, the annual publication and submission of the information listed in Annex 3 by 31 March, and the presentation of energy consumption per customer. The seminar assigns the obligations to your data center by size, commissioning date, and type of operator (act as of 13 November 2023; if the act changes, the seminar covers the status at the time of the seminar).
The power usage effectiveness according to EN 50600-4-2 (PUE), the Renewable Energy Factor according to 4-3 (REF), the Energy Reuse Factor according to 4-6 (ERF), the Cooling Efficiency Ratio according to 4-7 (CER), and the Water Usage Effectiveness according to 4-9 (WUE). In the seminar, you work through each KPI with its formula, boundaries, and measurement categories, and learn which KPI belongs in which report.
Reliable figures from the data center: you calculate emissions according to the GHG Protocol in Scope 1, 2, and 3, know the six environmental objectives of the EU Taxonomy and their application to data centers, and know which KPIs according to EN 50600-4-x belong in sustainability reports. In addition, the seminar covers how energy and environmental management systems differ from ESG reporting and the synergies between them.
The three-day seminar Energy Management According to ISO 50001 focuses on implementing the German Energy Efficiency Act in a legally compliant way through an energy management system. Data Center Sustainability & Efficiency takes in the whole picture over five days: climate targets and regulation, all KPIs of EN 50600-4-x, the maturity model, the Blauer Engel ecolabel and the EU Code of Conduct, sustainable IT, design and construction, building automation, waste heat reuse, cooling and standby power, and the introduction of energy and environmental management systems. If you need both, start with the seminar that fits your current task.
Basic knowledge of the disciplines of a data center helps, for example from the seminar Data Center – General Principles, but it is not a requirement. The seminar explains the technology as far as sustainability officers need it for reports and decisions, and goes as far as metering concepts, cooling plants, waste heat reuse, and standby power concepts for technicians.
Not at present. Data Center Sustainability & Efficiency is held as an in-person seminar in German, in English on request; the seminar dates show dates, locations, and availability.
Yes. DCE academy does not sell products and does not represent any manufacturer; no products are sold in the seminar. Its aim is to pass on knowledge and train people well, with experts who know their subject from ongoing projects.
After passing the exam, you receive a seminar certificate from DCE academy, which does not expire and can be verified publicly. You receive the link to the online exam by email after the seminar and have one week to take it. The seminar prepares your data center for assessments and certifications from the operator’s perspective: the maturity model according to CLC/TS 50600-5-1, the Blauer Engel ecolabel, and the validation or certification of the energy or environmental management system according to ISO 50001, ISO 14001, or EMAS. The certification itself is carried out by a certification body.
