Working with a mid-size data center client in Columbia served by SCE&G. They're claiming their PUE of 1.8 is industry standard but that seems high to me. Facility is about 25,000 sq ft, mix of legacy servers and newer equipment. Monthly usage runs around 480,000 kWh. Anyone have reliable benchmark data for Southeast data centers? The national averages seem skewed toward more efficient West Coast facilities.
Anyone have good benchmark data for data centers in the Southeast?
Marcus, 1.8 PUE is definitely on the high side for a modern data center. Up here in Maine we see CMP-served facilities running 1.4-1.6 typically. The Southeast climate probably adds cooling load but 1.8 suggests inefficient cooling systems or poor airflow management. Have you looked at their CRAC unit efficiency and whether they're using hot aisle containment?
We've audited several data centers on Alabama Power's LPP rate schedule. PUE of 1.8 in the Southeast isn't uncommon for older facilities, especially if they're still using legacy CRAC units. The humidity down here really impacts cooling efficiency. For 25,000 sq ft pulling 480 MWh monthly, that's about 19.2 kWh per sq ft which aligns with what we see for mixed-age server environments.
Albert's numbers sound right for the region. Here in Arkansas, we typically see Entergy-served data centers running 1.6-1.9 PUE depending on age and efficiency investments. The key is whether there's room for improvement. A facility with 1.8 PUE could potentially get to 1.5 with upgraded cooling systems and better air management, which would save substantial money on those high summer peaks.