There are Energy Star appliances, electronics equipment, houses and buildings.

Now, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has created an Energy Star designation for standalone data centers (think co-location or hosting facilities) as well as buildings that house large data center spaces.

To get the nod, your data center must perform in the top 25 percent of its peers from an energy efficiency standpoint. The EPA is building its measurements off the Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) ratio; that measurement must be verified by a third party before the application for the Energy Star rating is submitted.

If you’re into validation, this might be a more relevant label to seek for your facility than the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) designation, which isn’t really focused explicitly on data centers.