Executive Summary

• Socomec has announced a new energy audit initiative for UK data centres to help them improve their energy use and achieve compliance with the EU’s Energy Efficiency Directive.
• Operators with capacity above 500kW must disclose their PUE annually under the EU EED rules – the next deadline being 15th May 2026. Socomec’s new initiative will help legacy colocation data centres that want to become compliant.
• Participating data centres will receive a detailed report outlining actionable energy efficiency measures, estimated cost savings and ROI projections, tailored to each decision-maker

Socomec, a specialist manufacturer of low-voltage power management solutions, has announced the launch of its new energy audit programme, aimed at helping mission-critical data centres in the UK and Ireland improve their energy use, modernise their metering infrastructure and achieve compliance with the EU’s Energy Efficiency Directive (EED).

Under EU EED rules, owners and operators of facilities with a capacity above 500 kW must disclose their power usage effectiveness (PUE) and other key environmental performance indicators annually – with the next reporting deadline on 15th May 2026. The legislation closely aligns with the UK’s Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) and the globally recognised ISO 50001 standard, which places pressure on facilities to produce accurate measurements across energy consumption, power utilisation and more.

Beyond compliance, improving PUE has become a top financial priority for data centres as they manage rising energy costs, particularly with AI-driven workloads increasing power demand. Socomec estimates that a mere 0.1 improvement in PUE (from 1.6 to 1.5) can reduce total annual energy consumption by around 6–8 percent, which can equate to over £100,000 in yearly savings for a 2MW data centre, while also extending the lifespan of existing infrastructure.

UK and Ireland data centre operators seeking EU EED-level compliance can apply for an assessment of their energy infrastructure. Socomec’s specialists will conduct a comprehensive site inspection of existing IT and non-IT loads, including critical systems such as UPS server racks, cooling, lighting and switchgear to determine PUE and identify where metering intelligence falls short of expectations.

Participating data centres will receive a detailed report outlining actionable energy efficiency measures, estimated cost savings and ROI projections, tailored to each decision-maker – whether that’s a Chief Sustainability Officer, finance leader or the engineering team. The audits are ideally suited to legacy colocation data centres that want to measure PUE on a per rack basis using Measuring Instrument Directive (MID) compliant tooling. In addition to improving the energy efficiency of the overall facility, this tooling allows operators to bill individual tenants more accurately and fairly.

“The EU EED represents a gold standard for sustainable energy management and it’s only a matter of time before other countries follow Germany’s example and start penalising non-compliance. In addition, there is a fear particularly among legacy data centre operators that a rip-and-replace approach is needed to achieve modern energy efficiency.

“At Socomec, our aim is to plug this gap with proactive and practical guidance, showing that metering can be retrofitted to improve efficiency without infrastructure overhaul or operational downtime,” said Colin Dean, Managing Director of Socomec. “Our energy audit is designed to help operators of mission-critical data centres take informed action towards sustainability while maximising their investments. With clear, accurate insights into PUE, data centres can turn energy data into action, optimise operational costs and drive long-term resilience.”