ISO/IEC 30134-9:2022
(Main)Information technology — Data centres key performance indicators — Part 9: Water usage effectiveness (WUE)
Information technology — Data centres key performance indicators — Part 9: Water usage effectiveness (WUE)
This document specifies water usage effectiveness (WUE) as a key performance indicator (KPI) for quantifying the water consumption of a data centre during the use phase of the data centre life cycle. WUE is a simple method for reporting the water intensity of the data centre operating. By reporting water consumption, it is possible to present the data centre's resource effectiveness. This document: a) defines the WUE of a data centre; b) introduces WUE measurement categories; c) describes the relationship of this KPI to a data centre’s infrastructure, information technology equipment and information technology operations; d) defines the measurement, the calculation and the reporting of the parameter; and e) provides information on the correct interpretation of the WUE.
Technologies de l'information — Indicateurs de performance clés des centres de données — Partie 9: Efficacité dans l'utilisation de l'eau (WUE)
General Information
Standards Content (Sample)
INTERNATIONAL ISO/IEC
STANDARD 30134-9
First edition
2022-03
Information technology — Data
centres key performance indicators —
Part 9:
Water usage effectiveness (WUE)
Technologies de l'information — Indicateurs de performance clés des
centres de données —
Partie 9: Efficacité dans l'utilisation de l'eau (WUE)
Reference number
© ISO/IEC 2022
© ISO/IEC 2022
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© ISO/IEC 2022 – All rights reserved
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms, definitions, abbreviated terms and symbols . 1
3.1 Terms and definitions . 1
3.2 Abbreviated terms . 3
3.3 Symbols . 3
4 Applicable area of the data centre . 4
5 Determination of WUE .5
6 Measurement of WUE . .5
6.1 General . 5
6.2 Measuring actual water usage. 5
6.2.1 Calculation, measurement period and frequency . 5
6.2.2 Categories of WUE . 5
7 Application of WUE .8
8 Reporting of WUE . 8
8.1 Requirements . 8
8.1.1 Standard construct for communicating WUE data . 8
8.1.2 Data for public reporting of WUE . 9
8.2 Recommendations . 9
8.3 Example of reporting WUE values . 10
8.4 WUE derivatives . 10
8.4.1 Purpose of WUE derivatives . 10
8.4.2 Interim WUE . 11
8.4.3 Partial WUE . 11
8.4.4 Design WUE . 11
8.4.5 Quality WUE . 11
8.4.6 Peak WUE .12
8.5 Water reuse factor (WRF) . 12
Annex A (informative) Examples of use .13
Annex B (normative) Water siginficance .15
Annex C (informative) Energy water intensity factor .16
Annex D (normative) Land consumption .17
Bibliography .19
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© ISO/IEC 2022 – All rights reserved
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical
Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are
members of ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical
committees established by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical
activity. ISO and IEC technical committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the
work.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance
are described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria
needed for the different types of document should be noted. This document was drafted in
accordance with the editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives or
www.iec.ch/members_experts/refdocs).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject
of patent rights. ISO and IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent
rights. Details of any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the
Introduction and/or on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents) or the IEC
list of patent declarations received (see https://patents.iec.ch).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to
the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see
www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html. In the IEC, see www.iec.ch/understanding-standards.
This document was prepared by Joint Technical Committee ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology,
Subcommittee SC 39, Sustainability, IT and data centres.
A list of all parts in the ISO/IEC 30134 series can be found on the ISO and IEC websites.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards
body. A complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html and
www.iec.ch/national-committees.
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© ISO/IEC 2022 – All rights reserved
Introduction
The global economy is today reliant on information and communication technologies and the associated
generation, transmission, dissemination, computation and storage of digital data. All markets have
experienced exponential growth in that data, for social, educational and business sectors and while the
internet backbone carries the traffic, there are a wide variety of data centres at nodes and hubs within
both private enterprise and shared/collocation facilities.
The historical data generation growth rate exceeds the capacity growth rate of information and
communications technology hardware. In addition, with many governments having “digital agendas” to
provide both citizens and businesses with ever-faster broadband access, the very increase in network
speed and capacity will, by itself, generate ever more usage (Jevons Paradox). Data generation and
the consequential increase in data processing and storage are directly linked to increasing power
consumption.
With this background, data centre growth, and power consumption in particular, is an inevitable
consequence; this growth will demand increasing power consumption despite the most stringent
energy efficiency strategies. This makes the need for key performance indicators (KPIs) that cover
the effective use of resources (including but not limited to energy and water) and the reduction of CO
emissions essential.
Within the ISO/IEC 30134 series, the term “resource usage effectiveness” is more generally used for
KPIs in preference to “resource usage efficiency”, which is restricted to situations where the input and
output parameters used to define the KPI have the same units.
Water usage effectiveness (WUE) is intended to support data centre practitioners in obtaining an in
depth understanding of the performance of the data centre’s cooling installation in comparison with
similar systems, thereby creating a tool for improvning the sustainability of the data centre. The
impact of operational water usage is emerging as being extremely important in the design, location and
operation of current and future data centres.
In order to determine the overall resource efficiency of a data centre, a holistic suite of metrics
is required. This document is one of a series of International Standards for such KPIs and has been
produced in accordance with ISO/IEC 30134-1, which defines common requirements for a holistic suite
of KPIs for data centre resource efficiency. This document does not specify limits or targets for the KPI
and does not describe or imply, unless specifically stated, any form of aggregation of this KPI into a
combination with other KPIs for data centre resource efficiency. This document presents specific rules
on WUE’s use, along with its theoretical and mathematical development. This document concludes with
several examples of site concepts that could employ the WUE metric.
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© ISO/IEC 2022 – All rights reserved
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/IEC 30134-9:2022(E)
Information technology — Data centres key performance
indicators —
Part 9:
Water usage effectiveness (WUE)
1 Scope
This document specifies water usage effectiveness (WUE) as a key performance indicator (KPI) for
quantifying the water consumption of a data centre during the use phase of the data centre life cycle.
WUE is a simple method for reporting the water intensity of the data centre operating. By reporting
water consumption, it is possible to present the data centre's resource effectiveness.
This document:
a) defines the WUE of a data centre;
b) introduces WUE measurement categories;
c) describes the relationship of this KPI to a data centre’s infrastructure, information technology
equipment and information technology operations;
d) defines the measurement, the calculation and the reporting of the parameter; and
e) provides information on the correct interpretation of the WUE.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO/IEC 30134-1, Information technology — Data centres — Key performance indicators — Part 1:
Overview and general requirements
ISO 8601-1, Date and time — Representations for information interchange — Part 1: Basic rules
3 Terms, definitions, abbreviated terms and symbols
3.1 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO/IEC 30134-1 and the following
apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https:// www .electropedia .org/
© ISO/IEC 2022 – All rights reserved
3.1.1
total data centre energy consumption
total annual energy consumption for all energy types serving the data centre at its boundary
Note 1 to entry: The total data centre energy is measured in MWh; the energy is measured with energy metering
devices at the boundary of the data centre or points of generation within the boundary.
Note 2 to entry: This includes electricity, natural gas, hydrogen, bioethanol and district utilities such as supplied
chilled water or condenser water.
Note 3 to entry: Total annual energy includes supporting infrastructure.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 30134-2:2016, 3.1.7, modified.]
3.1.2
IT equipment energy consumption
energy consumed by equipment that is used to manage, process, store or route data within the compute
space
Note 1 to entry: IT equipment energy consumption is measured in MWh; examples for IT equipment are servers,
storage equipment, and telecommunications equipment.
Note 2 to entry: IT equipment energy use follows the same categories as in ISO 30134-2 Power usage effectiveness.
[SOURCE: ISO/IEC 30134-2:2016, 3.1.1, modified.]
3.1.3
water usage effectiveness
ratio of the data centre water consumption divided by the energy consumed by IT equipment
3.1.4
water use
water that is used by end-users for a specific purpose within a given territory
Note 1 to entry: For the purposes of this document, water use corresponds to the water consumption caused by
the processing of data in a data centre.
Note 2 to entry: Domestic use, irrigation or industrial processing are examples of a given territory.
Note 3 to entry: Water use is measured in water volume (m ) consumed.
3.1.5
reused water
water that is leaving the data centre boundaries for an alternative non-data-centre use
Note 1 to entry: The non-data-centre use of water is usually defined by local regulations for reuse.
3.1.6
potable water
water that is free from contamination and that is safe to drink or to use for food and beverage
preparation and personal hygiene
Note 1 to entry: Potable water is also known as drinking water.
Note 2 to entry: The definition of the quality criteria of potable water is usually subject to national or local
regulations; if there is no information about the criteria see Reference [2].
3.1.7
energy water intensity factor
amount of water that is used to produce energy
Note 1 to entry: Energy water intensity factor is measured in m per MWh.
© ISO/IEC 2022 – All rights reserved
3.1.8
water significance
amount of renewable freshwater that is available for each person each year
Note 1 to entry: Within the approach of this document, water significance is categorized by different levels of
water stress.
3.1.9
water stress
ability to meet human and ecological demand for freshwater
3.1.10
water quality
physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water concerning its suitability for an intended use
by humans, ecosystems or industrial processes
3.1.11
land consumption
loss of water permeability of the soil intended for use by humans, ecosystems or industrial processes
3.2 Abbreviated terms
For the purposes of this document, the abbreviated terms in ISO/IEC 30134-1 and the following apply.
DC data centre
dWUE design water usage effectiveness
EWIF energy water intensity factor
FI falkenmark indicator
iWUE interim water usage effectiveness
peakWUE peak water usage effectiveness
PUE power usage effectiveness
pWUE partial water usage effectiveness
qWUE quality water usage effectiveness
WRF water reuse factor
WUE water usage effectiveness
3.3 Symbols
For the purposes of this document the following symbols apply:
E total data centre energy consumption (annual) in MWh
DC
E IT equipment energy consumption (annual) in MWh
IT
f energy water intensity factor (EWIF)
EWI
f water reuse factor (WRF)
r,w
f drainage factor of fully sealed surfaces
s(F)
© ISO/IEC 2022 – All rights reserved
f drainage factor of few sealed surfaces
s(f)
f drainage factor of heavily sealed surfaces
s(h)
I total water input from outside the data centre boundaries (annual) measured by total vol-
w
ume in m
I water input from water consumption of energy production
w,e
I water input from potable water
w,p
I water input from rainwater
w,rw
i falkenmark indicator (FI)
F
L data centre land consumption
DC
O total water returned out of the data centre boundaries (annual) measured by total volume
w
in m
p population
s fully sealed surface
F
s few sealed surfaces
f
s heavily sealed surfaces
h
s surface runoff (annual) measured in m
run
U water usage of the data centre (annual) measured by total volume in m
w
U water reusage of the data centre (annual) measured by total volume in m
r,w
U industrial water reuse
r,w,I
U non-industrial water reuse
r,w,NI
η water usage effectiveness
U,W
η interim water usage effectiveness
U,W,i
NOTE Unlike for PUE, the unit of the energy used in WUE is MWh.
4 Applicable area of the data centre
WUE as specified in this document:
— is associated with the data centre infrastructure and IT equipment within its boundaries only;
— describes the water usage in relation to facilities with given environmental conditions, IT load
characteristics, availability requirements, maintenance and security requirements;
— measures the relationship between the total data centre water usage and the IT equipment energy
consumed.
WUE does not:
— account for efficiency of other resources such as human resources, space or CO ;
— provide a data centre productivity metric;
© ISO/IEC 2022 – All rights reserved
— provide a standalone, comprehensive efficiency metric;
— account for quality of the water reuse process outside the data centre boundaries;
— account for water down- or upgrade (reducing or improving water quality).
5 Determination of WUE
WUE provides a way to determine the water usage associated with data centres. A value of 0,0 indicates
that no water use is associated with the data centre‘s operations. WUE has no theoretical upper and no
theoretical lower boundary.
WUE is defined according to Formula (1):
U
w
η =
U,W
E
IT
(1)
Annual water usage is calculated according to Formula (2) as:
U = I − O (2)
w w w
WUE may be applied in mixed-use buildings when measurement of the difference between water used
for the data centre and that for other functions is possible.
6 Measurement of WUE
6.1 General
All KPIs of the ISO/IEC 30134 series are defined within the boundaries of a data centre (see
ISO/IEC 30134-1).
6.2 Measuring actual water usage
6.2.1 Calculation, measurement period and frequency
The minimum calculation and measurement period requires twelve months of cumulative energy
and water values. Annualized data used to calculate WUE shall be documented. The annual energy
values for energy consumption of the IT equipment collected shall cover the same time period. It is not
necessary to define the frequency of measurement or assessments for the annual WUE determination,
as the annual water value is a continuous integration of energy consumed in that timeframe. Examples
of the calculation are shown in the Annex A.
NOTE The measurement or assessment frequency can be necessary for subsystem improvements (refer to
partial PUE), but is not required for WUE disclosures.
6.2.2 Categories of WUE
6.2.2.1 Introduction
The categories of WUE are defined, as shown in Table 1, to provide a defined route to refine the accuracy
of the WUE measured. WUE considers different water qualities and types of reused water. Category 3
requires additional reporting for regional water significance (level of water stress, in accordance with
Annex B) and land consumption (in accordance with Annex D).
© ISO/IEC 2022 – All rights reserved
Table 1 — WUE categories
Source Category 1 (WUE ) Category 2 (WUE ) Category 3 (WUE )
1 2 3
basic intermediate advanced
Considered water Physical water input of the Physical water input of the Water consumption of energy
input DC. DC. production and physical water
input excluding rainwater.
Considered water No water reuse; water input Water output of the DC for Water output of the DC with
output equates to water use. non-industrial reuse. measurement of non-industrial
and industrial reuse.
Additional report- No. No. Regional water stress level and
ing land consumption.
The water qualities for the water input are differentiated into potable and non-potable water. If there
exists a regional definition of water qualities for potable and non-potable, this shall be taken into
account. Otherwise definitions given in this document shall be applied. For water output, a distinction
is made between two typs of reused water: non-industrial reuse and industrial reuse. The definition
of the criteria for water reuse is usually subject to national or local regulation. The part of the water
output that is not reused is specified as used water.
6.2.2.2 WUE category 1: water usage without reuse
WUE is a metric considering total water consumption of the data centre. For the water output there is
no distinction of water use and water reuse in category 1 (see Figure 1). For WUE the significance of
regional water shortage and land consumption is not considered.
NOTE For the water input, potable water and non-potable water are considered.
WUE includes the water used at the DC
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