Energy Efficiency Act
Energy Efficiency Act – What Changes for Data Center Operators?
The recently enacted Energy Efficiency Act (EnEfG) establishes new legal obligations for authorities, energy-intensive businesses, and data centers to improve energy efficiency. This is a crucial step in climate protection and the energy transition, as reducing energy consumption is essential. The legal requirements of this act have been binding since November 18, 2023.
Key Changes for Data Center Operators
- Power Supply from Renewable Energy
📌 Starting in 2024, data centers must source at least 50% of their power from renewable energy.
📌 By 2027, data centers must cover 100% of their electricity consumption with renewable energy.
2. PUE-Requirements (Power Usage Effectiveness)
📌 Existing data centers (commissioned before July 1, 2026) must gradually reduce their PUE to 1.3 or lower by 2030.
📌 New data centers (commissioned after July 1, 2026) must start with a PUE of 1.2 or lower.
📌 By 2028, data centers must utilize at least 20% of their waste heat.
3. Energy & Environmental Management
📌 By July 1, 2025, data centers must implement an Energy & Environmental Management System (EMS/UMS).
📌 Starting in 2026, data centers with a non-redundant power capacity of at least 1 MW (or 300 kW for public sector facilities) must certify and validate their EMS/UMS.
📌 Exemptions: Data centers that feed at least 50% of their waste heat into a district heating network and have had a total energy consumption below 7.5 GWh over the last three years are not required to certify their EMS/UMS.
4. Transparency & Reporting Obligations
📌 The German government is launching an Energy Efficiency Register for Data Centers.
📌 By March 31 of each year, data centers must submit their energy efficiency data to the register.
📌 Starting in 2024, data centers that offer services to third parties must document the energy consumption of their clients annually.
💡 Companies should immediately assess whether they are subject to EnEfG obligations!
This applies to businesses consuming at least 2.5 GWh of energy per year. The act sets strict deadlines for compliance and places a strong focus on data centers and IT infrastructure.
We will be happy to advise and support you in implementing the planned efficiency measures!
Energy efficiency register
If you operate a data center, it may be necessary to submit information about your data center to the federal authorities in accordance with Section 13 (1) sentence 1 of the Energy Efficiency Act (EnEfG).
What is an energy efficiency register and who is affected?
Data centers with a nominal connected load of 300 kW or more that are not redundant are obliged to submit specific energy consumption data, which is collected in a so-called energy efficiency register.
What deadlines apply to the energy efficiency register?
Deadline 1
Data center operators must make public information about their data center for the previous calendar year by 31 March of each year at the latest and submit it to the federal authorities.
(This deadline is extended in 2024)
Deadline 2
Data center operators whose non-redundant nominal connected load is 500 kW or more must submit the required information by 15 May 2024 at the latest.
Data center operators whose non-redundant nominal connected load is 300 kW to less than 500 kW must submit the required information by 1 July 2025 at the latest.
How do I register in the Energy Efficiency Register?
The DCI will be happy to assist you with this very complicated procedure!
An ELSTER organization certificate is required for legally secure and authenticated registration in the register.
You must then use this ELSTER organization certificate to log in via elster, complete and send authenticated entries.
We support you with registration in the energy efficiency register!
The DCI experts will help you to register professionally. They will ensure that the form with the relevant information about your data center is completed correctly and in accordance with the provisions of the Energy Efficiency Act.
Request a free initial consultation now!
We will not let you down!
