At Sabey Data Centers, energy efficiency in our purpose-built data centers is of paramount importance, both towards achieving our business objectives and honoring our core values. 

And it is essential to keep a measure of that energy efficiency. That’s why Sabey Data Centers is proud to boast a roster full of ENERGY STAR certified buildings across our portfolio.  

ENERGY STAR is a program that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched in 1992 as a response to increased environmental concerns. The idea behind the program was radical but simple: economic growth and environmental protections would create a virtuous feedback loop. Businesses saved money when energy-efficient practices and eco-friendly policies and behaviors were more widely adopted in production, construction, and operation as a result.    

Since 2015, Sabey Data Centers has been populating the ENERGY STAR portfolio manager with our energy, diesel, water, and waste data, seeking certification for every eligible building at each of our locations. The ENERGY STAR portfolio manager helps us benchmark our efforts year-over-year, comparing our properties to similar buildings nationwide.  

Utilizing ENERGY STAR has always benefited Sabey Data Centers and our customers. There’s a real correlation between the scores we receive from the program and the cost savings associated with that level of efficiency. In fact, according to ENERGY STAR, “certified buildings use, on average, 35 percent less energy than similar buildings nationwide.” This is a cost savings on utility that is then transferred over to our tenants, resulting in an overall lower TCO for their data centers.  

Not to mention, being ENERGY STAR certified aligns with our sustainability goals. Sabey Data Centers has made a pledge to meet net-zero carbon across our Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2029. Designing, building, and operating hyper-efficient data centers is a big part of our strategy to get there. ENERGY STAR certified buildings produce 35 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than buildings that aren’t certified.  

To gain ENERGY STAR certification, at least 12 months of utility data must be submitted that scores above a 75 on the ENERGY STAR scoring scale of 1-100. At Sabey, we strive to make sure all our eligible data centers receive exemplary scores.  

The scoring that ENERGY STAR uses reflects a scale based on like-use buildings across the country. If you score a 75, then your building is more efficient than 75% of like-use buildings. A score of 100 denotes the maximum energy efficiency any building in that category can achieve.  

2022 was a banner year for Sabey Data Centers. We had seven buildings achieve ENERGY certification (each with exemplary scores), and we qualified to be a member of the “Certification Nation” program ENERGY STAR ran in honor of its 30th anniversary. Here are our scores for 2022: 

• SDC Ashburn Building B- 95/100 
• SDC Ashburn Building C- 94/100 
• SDC Columbia Building D- 100/100  
• SDC Quincy Building A- 99/100
• SDC Quincy Building B- 99/100 
• SDC Quincy Building C- 99/100 
• SDC Seattle- East Building 4- 96/100 

If you want to read more about our sustainability initiatives, download our 2022 Sustainability Report!