Commission adopts a data-centre label on 21 September
On 21 September 2026 the European Commission adopted a common rating scheme for data centres. The scheme covers individual data centres with a capacity above 500 kW. It will grade their energy and water use and show their links to the grid.
The legal text is Commission Delegated Regulation C(2026) 3472. It builds on the reporting scheme in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1364. The EU database on data centres will issue each label automatically from data that operators already report.
Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera explained the aim in the Commission press release. "That starts with transparency, rating large data centres depending on their impact on our energy system," she said.
Operators above 500 kW carry the duties
Operators of covered sites already report to the EU database under the Energy Efficiency Directive. The new act adds two duties. Operators must give the label to anyone who asks for it (Article 4). They must also avoid labels that mimic the official one.
Smaller sites can join. Operators below 500 kW of installed IT power demand may take part voluntarily. Sites that are still being built may also join, using their design values.
The act exempts data centres that serve only the defence and civil protection of a Member State. Colocation operators that cannot measure the whole floor must state the share of floor area their data covers.
Seven grades for power and water
The label rates power usage effectiveness (PUE) and water usage effectiveness (WUE) on scales from A to G (Annex I).
| Class | PUE | WUE |
|---|---|---|
| A | 1.15 or lower | 0.1 or lower |
| B | above 1.15 to 1.25 | above 0.1 to 0.2 |
| C | above 1.25 to 1.35 | above 0.2 to 0.4 |
| D | above 1.35 to 1.5 | above 0.4 to 0.6 |
| E | above 1.5 to 1.7 | above 0.6 to 0.8 |
| F | above 1.7 to 1.9 | above 0.8 to 1.0 |
| G | above 1.9 | above 1.0 |
The act prints no unit next to the WUE classes. It points to Annex III of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1364. In the 2024 text, WUE is total water input in cubic metres divided by IT energy in MWh. That unit equals litres per kWh.
The new act amends that formula in its annexes. WUE becomes freshwater input in cubic metres divided by IT energy "expressed in kWh". Read literally, the amended unit is cubic metres per kWh, which is 1,000 times larger. The Commission has not explained the change, and its Q&A states no unit. The switch from total water to freshwater input is explicit.
The label also shows the energy mix, split into renewable and nuclear sources. It separates on-site generation, power purchase agreements and guarantees of origin (Annex II). It shows how much energy comes from new clean capacity. The Commission Q&A says this means plants no older than ten years, or plants substantially refurbished in that time.
Four more items appear on each label. They are cooling degree days, whether the site offers grid flexibility, whether it is ready to reuse waste heat, and a QR code. The Commission will publish a common document to explain how climate, size and age affect PUE and WUE.
The first labels must be generated by 15 August 2027 and every year after that (Article 3). Each label runs from 15 August to 15 August of the next year.
Scrutiny first, and no minimum standards yet
The act does not apply yet. It now faces a two-month scrutiny period in the European Parliament and the Council. The co-legislators may object to the act. They have no power to amend its text. The act enters into force 20 days after publication in the Official Journal. The Commission has published no date for either step.
The label sets no pass mark or minimum grade. Binding minimum standards are a separate file. The call for evidence and public consultation on minimum performance standards closes on 14 December 2026. The Commission plans a proposal for a regulation in the second quarter of 2027.
The act requires no audit of reported data. Operators state whether a certification scheme covers their reporting, and whether it is self-certified or third-party. The review clause lists third-party certification as an option for the first review, due by 31 December 2028 (Article 6). That review may also add an aggregate score and indicators for IT equipment energy use.
The Commission cites IEA figures for scale. EU data centres used about 68 TWh of electricity in 2024. The IEA expects 114 TWh by 2030, which is more than 3% of EU demand.
Check 2024/1364 reports before August 2027
- Operators of sites above 500 kW can check their 2024/1364 reports now. The same numbers will set their first grades in August 2027.
- Operators can work out their likely PUE and WUE classes from the table above. A PUE of 1.3 falls in class C, for example. Confirm the WUE unit with the Commission before you estimate a water class.
- Colocation providers can gather tenant data to raise their floor-area coverage.
- Cloud and AI buyers in the EU can add the label to procurement questions from 2027.
- Industry groups can respond to the minimum-standards consultation before 14 December 2026. That file may set binding thresholds.