ISO/IEC 30134-6 specifies the energy reuse factor (ERF) as a KPI to quantify the reuse of the energy consumed in a data center. ERF is defined as the ratio of energy being reused divided by the sum of all energy consumed in a data center. The ERF does reflect the efficiency of the reuse process; the reuse process is not part of a data center.
Energy Reuse Factor addresses the increasing reuse of waste heat energy from the data center in other parts of the facility or campus with beneficial results. The purpose of ERF is to incentivize the reuse of energy outside of the data centers rather than the rejection of energy. ERF identifies the portion of energy exported for reuse outside of the data centers.
ISO/IEC 30134-6 on Energy Reuse Factor is useful for:
Data generation and the consequential increase in data processing and storage are directly linked to increasing power consumption. With this background, data centre growth, and power consumption in particular, is an inevitable consequence; this growth will demand increasing power consumption, despite the most stringent energy efficiency strategies. This makes the need for key performance indicators (KPIs) that cover the effective use of resources (including but not limited to energy) and the reduction of CO2 emissions essential.
The energy reuse factor (ERF) provides the data center practitioner with greater visibility into energy efficiency in data centers that make beneficial use of any reused energy from the data center. In order to determine the overall resource efficiency of a data center, a holistic suite of metrics is required.
ISO/IEC 30134-6 is one of a series of standards for such KPIs and has been produced in accordance with ISO/IEC 301341, which defines common requirements for a holistic suite of KPIs for data centre resource efficiency. ISO/IEC 30134-6 specific rules on ERF’s use, along with its theoretical and mathematical development. ISO/IEC 30134-6 concludes with several examples of site concepts that can employ the ERF metric.
ISO/IEC 30134-6 helps agencies construct and maintain energy-efficient data centers while improving sustainability. This is very beneficial for the clients who is looking for an affordable, eco-friendly data storage option. These data centers can help reduce energy wastage and provide a more sustainable option for their clients. Ensuring that data centers are powered with zero-carbon energy sources can help to reduce these impacts further.
By adopting ISO/IEC 30134-6 organizations can contribute to UN Sustainable Development Goal 7 on Affordable and clean energy.