“The NABERS Energy for data centres rating system is a fantastic outcome of collaboration between the Federal and NSW governments,” said Yvette D’Ath, the new Parliamentary Secretary for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency.

“With data centres responsible for around 1.5% of Australia’s total annual energy consumption, the new system will provide managers with a benchmark of energy efficiency and allow for informed decisions on upgrading facilities and equipment.”

The NABERS Energy for data centres rating system is the first in the world able to measure and score the operational energy efficiency of IT equipment housed by a data centre. It measures processing and storage capacity and determines the corresponding energy star rating.

The system also assesses the efficiency of infrastructure services, such as air conditioning and lighting, and combines the IT and infrastructure elements to assess the energy efficiency of the data centre as a whole.

It will be managed by NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH), the National Administrator for NABERS rating systems for buildings.

D’Ath encouraged interested parties to contact the NSW OEH for information on the new rating system, including training for existing NABERS assessors.

Further information can be found at www.nabers.gov.au