EFF-01 · Energy & boundary · source-backed
PUE measurement boundary
Treat PUE as an energy ratio over a declared boundary and period—not a universal live efficiency score.
How it works
Divide total data center energy by IT equipment energy for the same period and a consistently defined boundary.
Where it fits
Baselining a facility, tracking directional change, and comparing periods after normalizing context.
Where it breaks
Comparing unlike climate, occupancy, resiliency, or accounting boundaries as if the ratio alone proves design quality.
Tradeoff register
- Simple enough to communicate
- Sensitive to boundary and IT utilization
- Does not express water, carbon, resilience or useful work
Interactive teaching model
This card connects to the pue lab. Its output is a bounded calculation or an illustrative directional model, not measured site data or a commissioned design result.
Source register
These sources support the teaching summary. Use current standards, site engineering and authority approval for real work.
- ISO/IEC 30134-2:2026 — Power usage effectiveness (PUE)
ISO / IEC · Public abstract; full standard is paid · reviewed 2026-08-26. Rights note: Link and summarize the public abstract; do not reproduce normative text. - Best Practices Guide for Energy-Efficient Data Center Design
U.S. Department of Energy · Public web page and downloadable guide · reviewed 2026-08-26. Rights note: Link and summarize; asset reuse requires a separate rights check.