You can choose a more responsible host by including environmental clauses at the time of selecting service providers. For example, by requiring it to comply with the European Code of Conduct for Data Centres, which sets out best practices (particularly with regard to the efficiency of servers – which are the main consumers of electricity in data centres).
You can also ask for their Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE), which measures data centres’ energy efficiency, and Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE), which measures their water consumption. The lower these indicators, the more efficient the data centre in its energy and water management. For example, the average PUE in France is 1.7, whereas the maximum PUE for new facilities should be approaching 1.2.
2%
Data centres alone consume not less than 2% of national electricity (ADEME-Arcep) – and up to 1.5% of global electricity.
GOOD TO KNOW
Certain large data centres consume an average of 3,800,000 l of water per day, even in arid environments. That is the equivalent of 790 full baths per hour. ⚠️ Of course, this only constitutes one example and is highly dependent on the technology used.
It is estimated that energy consumption by data centres in the European Union will have increased by 28% by 2030.
Source : European Commission Study