This page provides acquisition guidance for enterprise servers. Federal laws and requirements mandate that agencies purchase ENERGY STAR®-certified products or Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP)-designated products for all covered product categories except as specifically exempted by law.
FEMP's acquisition guidance and ENERGY STAR efficiency requirements apply to blade, multi-node, rack-mounted, and pedestal form factor enterprise servers with no more than four processor sockets. Fully fault tolerant servers, server appliances, high performance computing systems, large servers, storage products (including blade storage), large network equipment, and products covered under other ENERGY STAR product specifications are excluded.
This acquisition guidance was updated in December 2024.
Where To Find Product Efficiency Requirements
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides enterprise server efficiency levels and product specification information on its ENERGY STAR website. Manufacturers meeting these requirements are allowed to display the ENERGY STAR label on complying models. Get a list of ENERGY STAR-certified enterprise servers.
How To Determine Cost Effectiveness
An efficient product is cost effective when the lifetime energy savings exceed the up-front cost premium (if any) compared to a less-efficient option. You can find more information about determining life cycle cost effectiveness on our general guidance page.
See Table 1 below for an example comparing the life cycle cost savings of a base model (less efficient than the ENERGY STAR required efficiency) and a model meeting the ENERGY STAR required efficiency.
Example: Two-Processor Rack Server
FEMP has calculated that an ENERGY STAR-certified two-processor rack server saves money if it costs no more than $965 (in 2023 dollars) above the less-efficient model.
Table 1. Lifetime Savings for Efficient Enterprise Server Models
| Model Efficiency Level | ENERGY STAR Compared to Less Efficient |
|---|---|
| Annual Energy Savings (kWh) | 2,542 |
| Annual Energy Cost Savings | $280 |
| Lifetime Energy Cost Savings | $965 |
Energy Use and Cost Assumptions
Annual Energy Savings: Value obtained from ENERGY STAR savings calculations for enterprise servers.
Annual Energy Cost Savings: Calculated based on an energy price of 11¢/kWh, which is the average electricity price at federal facilities in the United States as of July 2024. Learn more about Federal Government Energy/Water Use and Emissions data.
Lifetime Energy Cost Savings: The difference between the lifetime energy cost of the identified models. Calculated over ENERGY STAR’s assumed server lifetime of four years. Used future electricity price trends and a 3% discount rate from the Energy Price Indices and Discount Factors for Life-Cycle Cost Analysis – 2024: Annual Supplement to NIST Handbook 135 and NBS Special Publication 709 (NISTIR 85-3273-39).
Model Efficiency Levels
ENERGY STAR: Based on the ENERGY STAR required efficiency level as of December 2024. Federal agencies must purchase products that meet or exceed ENERGY STAR efficiency levels.
Less Efficient: Based on a representative product with lower efficiency as determined by ENERGY STAR. Note energy savings will vary depending on actual usage.
Where To Buy Compliant Products
Buyers can make sure the product they purchase will be compliant by incorporating federal acquisition regulation language into contracts. Compliant products can also be found using federal supply sources and product codes. See our general guidance page for more details on buying compliant energy-using products.
Enterprise Server Product Codes
The Defense Logistics Agency Environmental Attribute Code (ENAC) identifies items with energy characteristics that meet standards set by an approved third party, such as FEMP and ENERGY STAR. Purchasers can also use a United Nations Standard Products and Services Code (UNSPSC) to identify and buy products and to track purchases.
The UNSPSC for enterprise servers is 43211501.
Other Tips for Choosing and Using the Best Product Efficiently
Save Energy Through Server Selection
Besides purchasing energy efficient servers, agencies can also save on energy costs by selecting servers with the following features:
- Purchasing high-temperature-tolerant servers can save energy by reducing cooling needs.
- ENERGY STAR servers offer processor power management that is enabled by default. Keeping the default power management setting in place whenever possible helps reduce power consumption at times of low utilization. Buyers can find products with this feature enabled by searching for "available power saving features" or "enabled power features" in Energy Star's Qualified Products list. This list also contains server idle and active power draw data.
- Purchasing efficient enterprise servers for data centers can be an important step in meeting data center energy reduction goals. Agencies should consult the FEMP Center of Expertise for Energy Efficiency in Data Centers website to find more design strategies, tools, and best practices for reducing energy use through server selection in data centers.
- Select servers models that are associated with rebates to save on purchase costs. Use the ENERGY STAR’s Rebate Finder to see if your local utility offers these incentives.
Consider Opportunities During Server Replacement
The latest ENERGY STAR servers deliver much higher performance per watt than 3- to 4-year-old servers. Server refresh policies should take into account these significant improvements in energy efficiency and power manageability. Refreshing servers is also a good opportunity to consider consolidation, as new servers usually have much more capacity than the servers they replace. The savings in energy and software costs can sometimes justify a faster refresh than expected.
Tips for Using Servers More Efficiently
When used and handled properly, energy-efficient enterprise servers provide years of safe and effective service. Federal users should be aware of the following user tips:
- Make use of power and performance data. Users can use input power, processor utilization, and inlet air temperature data to save energy. For example, they can optimize server operation based on processor utilization and input power, or adjust the setpoint of cooling equipment based on inlet air temperature. For ENERGY STAR products, they can access this data through a pre-installed OS, manufacturer’s website or documentation shipped with the product.
- Optimize server utilization and turn off unused servers. To save energy and important business resources, create and regularly update a server hardware and application inventory to track the number of applications running on each server, and identify unused servers or servers with low utilization. These servers can then be consolidated, with some servers eventually turned off or reassigned.
- Consolidate and virtualize applications. Virtualization is a proven method for consolidation, allowing multiple applications to run in their own environments on shared servers. This helps users lower operating costs through both reducing the number of servers needed and overall server energy use.
- Examine power back-up requirements. Redundant equipment in the power delivery chain increases capital cost and consumes additional energy. Since not all information technology equipment needs back-up power, back-up requirements should be determined on a case-by-case basis to avoid costly redundant equipment.