EU Energy Efficiency Directive (EU) 2023/1791: data centre provisions
Requires data centres of at least 500 kW installed IT power to report and publish energy and sustainability data every year by 15 May, sets waste-heat rules for large sites, and (Art. 11) requires a certified energy management system from large energy users.
- 10requirementsin our own words
- 1edition Directive (EU) 2023/1791 (recast)
- 27places where it is a duty of 30 assessed
- 18 Oct 2026last checkedat the sources below
Where it applies
It is a duty in 27 of 30 places, and 1 needs a closer read. The outcome holds under the conditions shown and says nothing about any one site.
| Where | Outcome | Basis | Conditions | Authority and route |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia | Applies | Required by law In force | From 500 kW (installed information technology power demand, per data centre)Exempt: data centres used for, or serving exclusively, defence and civil protection EU rule applies in every Member State; national authority and route differ. | Filed with: European database on data centres, via the national scheme where one exists |
| Germany | Applies | Required by law In force | From 500 kW (installed information technology power demand, per data centre)Exempt: data centres used for, or serving exclusively, defence and civil protection EU rule applies in every Member State; national authority and route differ. | federal government (Energieeffizienzregister) Filed with: Energieeffizienzregister and the European database |
| France | Applies | Required by law In force | From 500 kW (installed information technology power demand, per data centre)Exempt: data centres used for, or serving exclusively, defence and civil protection EU rule applies in every Member State; national authority and route differ. | Ministry for the energy transition Filed with: European platform; ARCEP data collection counts for sites already reporting to it |
| Netherlands | Applies | Required by law In force | From 500 kW (installed information technology power demand, per data centre)Exempt: data centres used for, or serving exclusively, defence and civil protection EU rule applies in every Member State; national authority and route differ. | RVO Filed with: RVO / European database |
| Norway | Needs review | Required by law Status not confirmed | None stated EEA relevance noted on the text; incorporation into the EEA Agreement and Norwegian law not checked. | Not stated |
| Switzerland, United Kingdom | Does not apply | Required by law In force | None stated EU law; not directly applicable outside the EU. | Not stated |
What it asks for
10 requirements, each in our own words with the evidence an assessor would expect and who on a site usually owns it. Read the clause itself on the scheme owner's page.
| Requirement | Evidence expected | Owner | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Decide site by site whether each data centre is in scope: installed IT power of at least 500 kW. Defence and civil-protection sites are outside. Applies to: installed IT power >= 500 kW | Site register with installed IT power per site and the basis for any exclusion Record, checked by document review | Compliance manager with Site manager | Every year review before each filing Filing, one site |
| Make the Annex VII identity facts public each year: data centre name, owner and operators, start date, municipality. Applies to: 500 kW or more installed IT power | Public page or national-register entry showing the identity items Record, checked by document review | Compliance manager with Site manager | Every year 15 May each year Disclosure, one site |
| Publish the size facts: floor area, installed power, yearly data traffic in and out, and data stored and processed. Applies to: 500 kW or more installed IT power | Figures with the method used for traffic and storage volumes Record, checked by document review | Site manager with IT operations | Every year 15 May each year Disclosure, one site |
| Publish performance for the last full calendar year on energy use, power utilisation, temperature set points, waste heat use, water use and renewable share. Applies to: 500 kW or more installed IT power | Annual KPI sheet fed by metering, with the calculation method named Meter data, checked by test | M&E lead with Compliance manager | Every year 15 May each year Disclosure, one site |
| Take the EU Code of Conduct best practices into account at sites of 1 MW installed IT power or more (Member States must encourage this). Applies to: 1 MW or more installed IT power | Gap list against the current best-practice edition and the actions chosen Record, checked by document review | M&E lead with Compliance manager | Every year none fixed Governance, one site |
| Use the waste heat, or keep an assessment showing why reuse is not technically or economically feasible, for data centres above 1 MW rated energy input. Applies to: total rated energy input above 1 MW | Heat reuse agreement or a feasibility assessment signed off by engineering Record, checked by document review | M&E lead with Site manager | On each change none fixed (national law sets dates) Technical limit, one site |
| Carry out an installation-level cost-benefit analysis of waste heat use when a data centre above 1 MW is newly planned or substantially refurbished. Applies to: new or substantially refurbished site with total rated energy input above 1 MW | Cost-benefit analysis covering technical feasibility, cost-efficiency, local heat demand and district heating connection Record, checked by document review | M&E lead with Finance | Once before the permit decision (national rules) Governance, one site |
| Run an energy management system, certified by an independent body, if the enterprise's average energy use over three years is above 85 TJ a year. Applies to: enterprise average annual energy consumption above 85 TJ | Certificate of an energy management system covering the enterprise Certificate, checked by document review | Compliance manager with Quality | Each certification cycle in place by 11 October 2027 Management system, the organisation |
| If the enterprise uses more than 10 TJ a year and has no energy management system, undergo an energy audit by qualified or accredited experts at least every four years. Applies to: enterprise average annual energy consumption above 10 TJ and no energy management system | Audit report, action plan and implementation rate Record, checked by document review | Compliance manager with Finance | Each certification cycle at least every four years Inspection, the organisation |
| Track the next steps: the Commission has adopted a rating-scheme act and opened a consultation on minimum performance standards for data centres. | Watch-list entry with owner, source and next review date Record, checked by document review | Compliance manager | Continuous review each quarter Governance, the organisation |
Editions
Which text is in force, from when, and which one it replaced.
| Edition | Status | Published | In effect | Replaces |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Directive (EU) 2023/1791 (recast) | Current Published OJ L 231, 20.9.2023; entry into force 10 Oct 2023 per the German government bill (Bundestag 21/8027); transposition and Art. 11 dates from the Directive text. | 20 Sep 2023 | 10 Oct 2023 Transition until 11 Oct 2025 | None named |
About the programme
- Scheme owner
- European Parliament and Council
- Assessed by
- A regulator or authority
- Scope
- data centre (one site)
- Levels
- 500 kW installed IT power threshold; 1 MW for Code of Conduct encouragement
- Validity
- Annual reporting by 15 May.
- Regulator
- Member State energy authorities; European Commission (European database)
- Official body
- European Parliament and Council
- Who asks for it
- Regulator
- Where it is used
- EU27 (EEA relevance noted)
Sources
Official bodies behind this page, each with the date we last read it.
- EUR-Lex (Official Journal of the EU)read 18 Oct 2026
Not legal advice. Confirm each duty against the text itself.