PTS’ Data Center Energy Usage Assessment Service provides data center operators with a spot measurement and calculation of the site’s power usage effectiveness (PUE) and data center efficiency (DCE) ratios. The goal of this service is to assess the power utilization of the data center operations as the first step in determining whether energy efficiency improvements are achievable.
PUE is the ratio of total facility power supporting data center operations to the actual power used by the IT infrastructure while DCE is the reciprocal calculation. The IT infrastructure is the equipment used to manage, process, store, or route data within the computer room area(s). It constitutes the critical load and includes all of the IT equipment, such as compute, storage, and network equipment along with supplemental equipment such as KVM switches, monitors, and workstations used to monitor or otherwise control the data center. The total facility power supporting data center operations includes IT load plus all the support infrastructure loads including:
- Losses from power protection & distribution equipment including UPS, switchgear, generators, PDU, ATS, and batteries
- Power for cooling system components including chillers, computer room air conditioner units (CRACs), heat rejection equipment, pumps, cooling towers
- Power for miscellaneous non-UPS loads such as lighting
PTS’ technicians will identify the total facility power supporting data center operations as well as the actual power used by the IT infrastructure by collating the data from various sources including inspecting equipment meters and/or by using power measurement equipment to spot capture the power draw for all data center specific infrastructure that cannot otherwise be determined.
The PUE and DCE ratios serve as a basis of comparison of the current data center power usage versus industry standards. The assessment of these ratios can determine whether the potential exists for substantial cost savings derived from improved power systems design.
Features | Benefits |
Determine electrical load for both IT & support Infrastructure | Understand the actual power consumption of both the IT & supporting loads |
Determine PUE and DCE for current data center operations | Provides numerical comparison of current data center power usage versus industry standards to determine whether the potential exists for substantial cost savings derived from improved power systems design |
Recommend energy usage improvements | Understand potential energy savings from various upgrade and/or improvements to data center operations |
PTS’ data center energy usage assessment service serves in the ‘assess’ phase in the progression of the data center project process.

To learn more about PTS’ Energy Efficiency Services and Programs, contact us or visit:
- Press Release: PTS Accepted into Con Edison’s New Data Center-Specific Commercial and Industrial Energy Efficiency Program
- Con Edison and NYSERDA Data Center Efficiency Program Overview
- PTS Data Center Power & Cooling Systems Analysis
- Data Center Feasibility Consulting
- Data Center Project Cost Estimating
- PTS Data Center Availability & Risk Assessment
- PTS Computational Fluid Dynamic Services
- PTS Virtualization Strategies & Assessments