Sustainable Colocation: How to Evaluate a Provider's Claims

Why sustainability is now an RFP item

For many organizations, data center energy is a meaningful part of their reported emissions. Customers, investors and regulators increasingly ask about it. That makes sustainability a practical buying criterion, not just a brand preference. When you rent colocation, the provider's energy sourcing and efficiency become part of your footprint.

The challenge is that sustainability claims are easy to make and hard to compare. Corporate commitments, regional averages and marketing language often stand in for facts about the specific building you would occupy. This post explains what to ask so you can compare providers on substance.

The four areas to evaluate

1. Energy sourcing

Ask how electricity for the specific facility is sourced:

• Utility mix. What is the local grid's generation mix? This varies a great deal by region.
• Renewable procurement. Does the provider buy renewable energy for this building, and how: on-site generation, power purchase agreements, utility green tariffs or energy certificates?
• Matching. Is renewable energy matched annually, or more granularly? Annual matching and hourly matching mean different things.
• Customer options. Can you buy renewable energy for your own load, and how will it be documented?

2. Efficiency

Power usage effectiveness (PUE) compares total facility energy with the energy delivered to IT equipment. Lower is more efficient. When a provider quotes PUE, ask:

• Is it design PUE or measured PUE?
• Is it for this building or a portfolio average?
• Over what period, and at what occupancy?
• How is it measured, and is it reported publicly?

A new building measured at low occupancy may report a very different figure than at full load. Ask for the trend over time.

3. Water and cooling

Cooling design affects both energy and water use. Evaporative cooling can reduce energy but consume water; other designs use less water but more energy. Ask which methods the building uses, whether it reports water usage effectiveness (WUE), and how the design accounts for local water stress. The Colocation Cooling Technologies guide explains the main methods.

4. Reporting and data

If you report emissions, you need data from the provider. Ask:

• Will you receive your share of energy use for the space you occupy, and how often?
• Will the provider supply emissions factors and documentation for renewable purchases?
• Which reporting frameworks does the provider support?
• Are any claims independently verified?

Questions to add to your RFP

1. How is electricity for this specific facility sourced, and what share of it is covered by renewable purchases? Please describe the instruments used.
2. What is this facility's measured PUE over the last reporting period, and how is it calculated?
3. Which cooling methods are used, and what is the facility's water usage approach and reporting?
4. What energy and emissions data will we receive for our space, and how often?
5. Can we procure renewable energy for our own load, and how is it documented?
6. Which sustainability claims are independently verified, and by whom?

Add these to the standard requirements in the Colocation RFP Checklist so every provider answers in the same format.

Balancing sustainability with other requirements

Sustainability rarely stands alone. Weigh it against power availability, density, connectivity, resilience and cost. A highly efficient building that cannot deliver your power or connectivity is not the right building. A practical approach is to set minimum requirements for sustainability reporting, then score providers that meet them alongside your other criteria, as described in How to Choose a Colocation Provider.

Market choice also matters. Grid mix and climate vary by region, which affects both emissions and cooling efficiency. If sustainability is a priority, compare buildings in more than one market. Inland and northern markets such as Hillsboro, Denver and Salt Lake City are worth evaluating alongside major hubs such as Dallas, with the specifics confirmed building by building.

Red flags

• Portfolio averages offered when you asked about a specific building.
• Design efficiency figures presented as measured results.
• Renewable claims with no description of how energy is procured.
• No plan to share energy or emissions data with customers.

Next step

Make sustainability a scored part of your comparison, not an afterthought. Request quotes with sustainability questions included, or book a consult to add them to your evaluation.

Frequently asked questions