II 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3684 

To study and promote the use of energy efficient computer servers in the 

United States. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 18, 2006 

Mr. ALLEN (for himself, Mr. BINGAMAN, and Mrs. BOXER) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To study and promote the use of energy efficient computer 

servers in the United States. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. STUDY. 

4 Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 

5 of this Act, the Administrator of the Environmental Pro6 tection Agency, through the Energy Star program, shall 

7 transmit to the Congress the results of a study analyzing 

8 the rapid growth and energy consumption of computer 

9 data centers by the Federal Government and private en10 terprise. The study shall include— 


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1 (1) an overview of the growth trends associated 

2 with data centers and the utilization of servers in 

3 the Federal Government and private sector; 

4 (2) analysis of the industry migration to the use 

5 of energy efficient microchips and servers designed 

6 to provide energy efficient computing and reduce the 

7 costs associated with constructing, operating, and 

8 maintaining large and medium scale data centers; 

9 (3) analysis of the potential cost savings to the 

10 Federal Government, large institutional data center 

11 operators, private enterprise, and consumers avail12 able through the adoption of energy efficient data 

13 centers and servers; 

14 (4) analysis of the potential cost savings and 

15 benefits to the energy supply chain through the 

16 adoption of energy efficient data centers and servers, 

17 including reduced demand, enhanced capacity, and 

18 reduced strain on existing grid infrastructure, and 

19 consideration of secondary benefits, including poten20 tial impact of related advantages associated with 

21 substantial domestic energy savings; 

22 (5) analysis of the potential impacts of energy 

23 efficiency on product performance, including com24 puting functionality, reliability, speed, and features, 

25 and overall cost; 


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1 (6) analysis of the potential cost savings and 

2 benefits to the energy supply chain through the use 

3 of stationary fuel cells for backup power and distrib4 uted generation; 

5 (7) an overview of current government incen6 tives offered for energy efficient products and serv7 ices and consideration of similar incentives to en8 courage the adoption of energy efficient data centers 

9 and servers; 

10 (8) recommendations regarding potential incen11 tives and voluntary programs that could be used to 

12 advance the adoption of energy efficient data centers 

13 and computing; and 

14 (9) a meaningful opportunity for interested 

15 stakeholders, including affected industry stake16 holders and energy efficiency advocates, to provide 

17 comments, data, and other information on the scope, 

18 contents, and conclusions of the study. 

19 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

20 It is the sense of Congress that it is in the best inter21 est of the United States for purchasers of computer serv22 ers to give high priority to energy efficiency as a factor 

23 in determining best value and performance for purchases 

24 of computer servers. 

Æ 


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