Seminar for energy managers, data center managers, facility managers, and auditors
Energy Management According to ISO 50001 for data centers under Section 12 EnEfG
From the text of the law to effective energy management: what the EnEfG requires of data centers and how a system according to ISO 50001 meets it verifiably
At a glance
In three days, you learn which obligations the German Energy Efficiency Act (EnEfG) places on data center operators and how to set up an energy management system according to ISO 50001 that meets these obligations: from the scope through key performance indicators, the metering concept, and measures to the internal audit.
You can then show auditors, customers, and authorities evidence instead of searching for it.
From the law to the system
In three days, the seminar leads from the legal framework to audit readiness: which obligations the EnEfG places on data center operators, how ISO 50001 is structured, and how an energy management system for a data center develops from it, with scope, energy team, significant energy uses, energy performance indicators, metering concept, measures, and economic evaluation.
Audit and certification
The seminar concludes with the internal audit, the management review, and the path to certification.
A case study as the common thread
A continuous case study links the modules; you work in exercises and on audit questions, and the trainers bring the current state of practice from ongoing projects.
Why energy management according to ISO 50001?
Since 1 July 2025, the German Energy Efficiency Act has required operators of data centers with a non-redundant rated connected load of 300 kilowatts or more to have an energy or environmental management system; a system according to ISO 50001 counts as an energy management system.
An auditor does not ask whether you have saved energy. The auditor asks whether you can show that your system works.
That is where the seminar comes in. It follows the structure of ISO 50001 from Clause 4 to Clause 10 and translates each requirement into a decision for the data center: cooling, UPS, IT load, procurement, operation. This saves you an energy management system that does not hold up in the certification audit and protects you from evidence that you have to search for instead of show when an inspection comes. It also makes investments in efficiency justifiable, based on the economic evaluation that the law requires for implementation plans.
Validation or certification
Since 1 January 2026, the energy or environmental management system must be validated or certified from 1 megawatt, for data centers of public bodies from 300 kilowatts, and for operators of information technology from 500 kilowatts. The law requires more than a manual: continuous metering of the significant components and measures that continuously improve energy efficiency.
Fines and the amendment
Anyone who does not set up the system, does not set it up correctly, or does not set it up on time commits an administrative offense; fines can reach 100,000 euros (EnEfG of 13 November 2023, Sections 3, 12, and 19). An amendment to the Energy Efficiency Act is under discussion; the seminar addresses it and discusses the status at the time of the seminar.
What the auditor wants to see
Where the boundary of the scope lies, which energy uses are significant, where the figures come from, which baseline you compare against, and which measure explains which saving.
From meter list to system
A continuous case study shows how meter lists, electricity bills, and a PUE value on a dashboard become a system you can steer, and why a data center can consume less electricity and still have a worse PUE.
Who it is for
Who is this seminar for?
Energy and environmental officers and energy managers
who set up or maintain the energy management system for a data center or lead it to certification.
Data center managers and operations managers
who are responsible for the obligations under the Energy Efficiency Act and demonstrate compliance to management and authorities.
Facility managers and building services technicians
who operate cooling, power distribution, meters, and the metering concept and supply the data for the indicators.
IT managers and administrators
whose server strategy, workloads, and load distribution determine the IT energy and therefore every indicator.
Quality managers and internal auditors
who extend an existing management system to cover energy or prepare the internal audit.
Sustainability and compliance officers
in companies and public institutions with their own data center who bring reporting and information obligations together.
Consultants and auditors
who support data centers in setting up and auditing an energy management system.
Prior knowledge of management systems is not required; if you know ISO 9001 or ISO 14001, you will recognize the same structure. Knowledge of the disciplines of a data center helps with the exercises; if you want to build it up, you will find it in the seminar Data Center – General Principles.
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.
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
classify the obligations of the Energy Efficiency Act for your data center: scope and thresholds, deadlines, metering obligation, validation or certification, information obligation, and range of fines, and assess the status of the amendment;
explain the structure and requirements of ISO 50001 (Clauses 4 to 10, PDCA cycle), distinguish it from ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO/IEC 27001, and integrate it into an existing management system;
define the scope and boundaries of the energy management system for your data center, record interested parties and their requirements, and set up the energy policy, roles, and energy team;
carry out an energy review: determine significant energy uses, define energy performance indicators and the energy baseline, set up a data collection plan and metering concept in line with the requirements of the EnEfG, and interpret a PUE value correctly;
formulate energy objectives and action plans, evaluate measures economically according to EN 17463, and turn them into implementation plans under the EnEfG;
anchor energy efficiency in operation, procurement, and design so that new decisions do not undermine the energy objectives;
plan and carry out internal audits, prepare the management review, deal with nonconformities, and know the certification process from the initial certification audit to the recertification audit.
Content
Six modules
The six modules follow the path from the law to an audit-ready system: from the legal framework through the structure of the standard and the system to energy analysis, measures, and operation, and on to audit and certification.
The Energy Efficiency Act has two routes into the obligation to have an energy management system: via the company’s total final energy consumption and via the data center’s rated connected load. The module classifies the obligations, deadlines, and evidence and shows how they can be implemented in the company.
- German Energy Efficiency Act (EnEfG): definitions of data center and operator, obligation to have an energy or environmental management system, continuous metering, validation and certification, exemptions (Sections 3, 8, and 12)
- Implementation plans for economic final energy saving measures and the economic evaluation according to EN 17463 (Section 9); information obligation and energy efficiency register (Section 13, Annex 3); provisions on fines (Section 19)
- Other laws and regulations at a glance: Energy Services Act (EDL-G), Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG), Energy Tax Act (EnergieStG); funding and relief schemes that require an energy management system
- Amendment to the Energy Efficiency Act under discussion: status and effects at the time of the seminar
ISO 50001 is a standard for management systems, not a technical regulation: it requires processes that improve energy performance, not just documents. The module explains the structure and distinguishes it from other management systems.
- Structure according to the High Level Structure: Clauses 4 to 10, PDCA cycle, essential requirements and evidence
- Differences and synergies: ISO 9001 (quality), ISO 14001 (environment), ISO/IEC 27001 (information security); integration into existing structures and processes
- Family of standards: ISO 50004 (implementation and maintenance), ISO 50005 (phased implementation; defined in the EnEfG as a simplified energy management system), ISO 50006 (energy performance indicators and baselines), ISO 50015 (measurement and verification)
Without leadership, energy management remains one person’s project; with leadership, it becomes a management system. The module defines the playing field and assigns responsibility.
- Context of the organization: internal and external issues, interested parties and their requirements (customers, authorities, landlords, grid operators)
- Scope and boundaries: what the system covers and where it ends; authority to control as a test question; justified exclusions; exercise on the case study
- Leadership and energy policy; roles, responsibilities, and communication channels between the energy manager, management, facility management, IT, procurement, controlling, and compliance; the energy team as evidence of leadership
- Documentation and process integration in the company
The law requires continuous metering of the significant components; the standard requires indicators that match the energy use and have a reliable baseline. The module leads from the meter list to the energy review.
- Identifying and prioritizing energy consumers in the data center: cooling, UPS and power distribution, IT components, load distribution and virtualization
- Energy review: significant energy uses (SEU), relevant variables, energy performance indicators (EnPI), energy baseline (EnB), normalization, and data collection plan
- Metering systems and metering concept: which meters, which metering points, which data paths; PUE as an indicator according to EN 50600-4-2 and as a reporting value; monitoring and reporting
- Typical savings potential: efficient cooling, energy monitoring, performance optimization; practical examples; insight into an energy management tool
A measure on its own is not energy management: each one needs an owner, a deadline, an expected saving, an investment, and a review of its effectiveness. The module links objectives, action plans, and economic viability with day-to-day operation.
- Energy objectives according to the SMART principle; action plans with measures, schedule, responsibilities, and budget; monitoring and evaluating effectiveness
- Economic evaluation according to EN 17463 (VALERI) and its role in implementation plans under the EnEfG; action plans of the standard compared with implementation plans of the law
- Operation, design, and procurement: temperature and humidity specifications, cooling strategy, maintenance, changes in the data center; energy-related procurement of UPS, transformers, chillers, fans, and pumps
- Justifying savings with measures: implemented measures as evidence of improvement; documentation, even after the fact
An audit does not check whether energy has been saved but whether the system has been implemented as planned, meets the requirements of the standard, and is effective. The module prepares you for internal and external audits and closes the improvement cycle.
- Types of audit and their purpose: internal audit, two-stage certification audit, surveillance and recertification audit, energy audit under the EDL-G and EN 16247
- Preparing and conducting internal audits: audit objectives, auditor independence, audit report, follow-up; typical auditor questions on indicators, data gaps, and the status of measures
- Certification process according to ISO 50001: pre-audit, main audit, surveillance audit; working with the certification body; evidence that external auditors expect
- Management review as the basis for top management’s decisions; handling nonconformities, corrective actions, tracking of measures, and continual improvement
Standards and practice
Standards, laws, regulations
The seminar covers the following standard parts, laws, and regulations:
German Energy Efficiency Act (EnEfG)
Definitions (Section 3), energy or environmental management systems for companies (Section 8), implementation plans (Section 9), Part 4 on data centers (Sections 11 to 13: power usage effectiveness, energy and environmental management systems, information obligation and energy efficiency register with Annex 3), provisions on fines (Section 19); amendment under discussion, status at the time of the seminar
ISO 50001
Energy management systems – Requirements
ISO 50004, ISO 50005, ISO 50006, ISO 50015
Family of standards: implementation, phased implementation, indicators and baselines, measurement and verification
EN 17463 (VALERI)
Economic evaluation of energy efficiency measures, basis of implementation plans under the EnEfG
ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO/IEC 27001
related management systems
EN 16247
Energy audit
EN 50600‑4‑2
PUE (power usage effectiveness)
EN 50600‑4-x
further indicators of the series that the EnEfG uses for the information obligation
Energy Services Act (EDL-G)
Energy audit, at a glance
Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG)
at a glance
Energy Tax Act (EnergieStG)
at a glance
How it works and prerequisites
How does the seminar work?
Three days in person
Three 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.
Case study and exercises
Short inputs alternate with exercises, audit questions, and discussions; a continuous case study of a data center runs through all three days, from the legal framework to the internal audit. A practical block covers metering technology and gives an insight into an energy management tool.
Materials and exchange
You receive the seminar materials as a PDF in the language in which the seminar is held. 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: none
Prior knowledge of management systems is not needed; if you know ISO 9001 or ISO 14001, you will recognize the same structure. Knowledge of the disciplines of a data center helps with the exercises; if you want to build it up, you will find it in the seminar Data Center – General Principles.
Dates and registration
Choose a date and format
Same content, same price, same certificate in every format.
€4,195 per participant, plus VAT, in every format
Your date
- Date
- Format and location
- In person · Munich
- Language
- German
Registration
Energy Management According to ISO 50001
€4,195
Price plus VAT at the statutory rate.
Date:
16/03/2027 - 18/03/2027
Location:
Munich
Language:
Seminar price:
€4,195
More dates
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In person · Frankfurt am Main · German
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In person · Munich · German
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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
Yes, if it falls under the German Energy Efficiency Act: since 1 July 2025, operators of data centers with a non-redundant rated connected load of 300 kilowatts or more must operate an energy or environmental management system; from 1 megawatt (public bodies from 300 kilowatts, operators of information technology from 500 kilowatts), it must have been validated or certified since 1 January 2026. A system according to ISO 50001 counts as an energy management system; the alternative is an environmental management system according to EMAS. Status: EnEfG of 13 November 2023; an amendment is under discussion and is covered in the seminar. On the first day, you check which obligations apply to your data center.
The law sets the obligation, the standard describes the system: for the energy management system, the EnEfG refers explicitly to ISO 50001 and additionally requires continuous metering, efficiency measures, and an annual information obligation. The standard provides the structure for this: scope, leadership, energy review, indicators, operation, audit, and improvement. The seminar covers both together so that the system delivers the legally required evidence from the start.
Yes, through the method: you learn to determine the significant energy uses of your data center, define indicators and a baseline, evaluate measures economically according to EN 17463, and demonstrate their effect. Typical savings potential in cooling, monitoring, and performance optimization is covered using practical examples. The technical depth on the disciplines belongs in the seminars Deep Dive – Power Supply & Cooling and Data Center Sustainability & Efficiency.
Yes, from the operator’s perspective: you learn the two-stage certification process, surveillance and recertification audits, the evidence that external auditors expect, and how to prepare for the audit with internal audits and the management review. The seminar does not certify your system; a certification body does that.
No. Prior knowledge of management systems is not needed; if you know ISO 9001 or ISO 14001, you will recognize the same structure. Knowledge of the disciplines of a data center helps with the exercises; the seminar Data Center – General Principles teaches it in three days.
In the depth on the management system. Data Center Sustainability & Efficiency covers regulation, indicators, technology, and waste heat in five days and introduces energy and environmental management systems. Energy Management According to ISO 50001 focuses in three days on setting up, operating, and making audit-ready the energy management system that the Energy Efficiency Act requires of data centers.
Not at present; the seminar is held as an in-person seminar in German, in English on request. The dates with locations are listed under dates and registration.
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. You receive the link to the online exam by email after the seminar and have one week to take it. The certificate does not expire and can be verified publicly. It documents your qualification; it is not a certification of your energy management system.
