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power usage effectiveness (PUE)

u Alexander S. Gillis, Technical Writer and Editor
Mark Fontecchio
c
o
What is power usage effectiveness (PUE)?
i Power usage effectiveness (PUE) is a metric used to determine the energy efficiency of a data
n center. PUE is determined by dividing the total amount of power entering a data center by the
power used to run the IT equipment within it. PUE is expressed as a ratio, with overall efficiency
improving as the quotient decreases toward 1.0.

Data center infrastructure and the processing power within it require a lot of energy, and data
centers that do not operate efficiently will use more energy. Monitoring a metric like PUE is useful
for benchmarking data center efficiency. Organizations and data center managers can use this
metric once to measure their data center efficiency and then again to measure the effect of any
changes made to the data center. This helps reduce power consumption and energy costs.

PUE was created by members of the Green Grid, an industry group focused on data center energy
efficiency. According to the "Uptime Institute Annual Global Data Center Survey 2021," PUE and
power consumption are among the top tracked sustainability methods. A similar benchmarking
standard  recognized by the Green Grid is Data Center Infrastructure Efficiency, or DCiE.
k How PUE is calculated, including examples of what sort of equipment is measured in each part of the equation.

How is PUE calculated?

The calculation of power usage effectiveness is total facility power/IT equipment energy = PUE.
Total facility power is the amount of power the facility uses, which includes all data center
hardware, power delivery components, cooling systems and lighting systems. IT equipment
energy refers to the amount of energy that is used to power the storage and networking
equipment as well as control equipment such as monitors and workstations.

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PUE can be calculated using the following steps:   

1. Measure energy use at the facility's utility meter. If the data center is in a mixed-use facility or
office building, take a measurement only at the meter that is powering the data center. If it is
not on a separate utility meter, estimate the amount of power being consumed by the non-
data center portion of the building and remove it from the equation. A better way of doing this,
however, is by using data center infrastructure management (DCIM) software. Instead of
taking a trip to the utility meter and making an estimation, sensors are installed that collect
real-time energy usage data for measuring PUE.
2. Measure the IT equipment load after power conversion, switching and conditioning are
completed. The most useful measurement point is at the power distribution units, which
supply power to the computers and networking equipment. This measurement should
represent the total power delivered to the server racks in the data center.
 3. Do the math. Once the measurements are collected, calculating PUE is just dividing total
facility power by equipment energy.

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Benefits and limitations of PUE

Benefits of power usage effectiveness include the following:

Calculation can be repeated. The metric is meant to be used multiple times to gauge changes
in data center efficiency.
Gauge more efficient practices. The metric can help identify effective and noneffective ways
to reduce energy usage.
Pairs with DCIM software. DCIM software can automatically calculate PUE in real time,
consolidating that data into reports.
The PUE metric in competition. Organizations with good PUE ratios can use their score in
marketing materials.

Some example limitations involved with data center PUE, however, include the following:

Calculating the accurate total facility power. Accuracy of the total facility power calculation is
a major factor affecting the measurement of PUE. If an organization has to estimate that
number at its utility meter, then the resulting calculation is only an estimation.
PUE does not capture consumption at the rack level. Energy that is consumed at the rack
level is not part of the overall PUE calculation, making the PUE less accurate.
PUE as a marketing metric. Although organizations can use PUE in marketing, the metric is
meant to be used as an improvement and assessment metric. Marketers should not rely
heavily on PUE just because it may be a widely understood concept.

How can you lower PUE?

Steps to take in order to lower a power usage effectiveness ratio closer to 1.0 include the
following:
 Virtualize servers. Virtual machines can run their own workloads, which reduces energy
consumption and frees up more floor space.
Improve cooling systems. To prevent overheating, data centers require a cooling system.
However, refrigerant-based cooling systems use a lot of power. Improving these systems or
reducing the data center's reliance on them can help lower PUE.
Optimize cool air production. This can be done, for example, by using naturally cool outside
air or heat exchangers.
Replace inefficient hardware. The quality and performance of some hardware may degrade
over time, so if servers or storage systems are not performing properly, they should be
replaced.
Use an energy-efficient uninterruptible power supply (UPS). Power distribution should be
designed with a UPS to be more efficient. More efficient equipment and making power run a
shorter distance increase efficiency.
Use energy-efficient lighting. Although lighting generally makes up a smaller portion of power
consumption, it is still an easy way to reduce power and heat production. Replacing
fluorescent lighting with LEDs on motion sensors and lighting controls can help reduce power
consumption and heat production.

Learn about more ways to reduce data center power consumption, including reducing CPU demands
and addressing more cooling-related costs in this article.
This was last updated in April 2022

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Related Terms

Clos network
A Clos network is a type of nonblocking, multistage switching network used today in large-scale data center switching
fabrics. See complete definitionq

data center as a service (DCaaS)

Data center as a service (DCaaS) is the provision of off-site physical data center facilities and infrastructure to clients.
See complete definitionq
IT monitoring

IT monitoring is a process that gathers metrics on the operations of an IT environment. See complete definitionq

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