Looks like Energy Star for data centers just might take off.

Citi today announced that its 304,275 square-foot Midwest Data Center facility outside of Columbus, Ohio has just earned from the Energy Star certification from the EPA by earning 84 out of a possible 100 points.  How did it earn the blue label? By focusing on the company’s cooling systems, primarily. This encompasses higher ambient temperatures, segmenting IT equipment by their heat output and calibrating cooling to those areas, and taking advantage of the climate around Columbus to free cool the data center 35 of the year — meaning that the cooling systems can be shut down or minimally engaged for a good third of a year.

Citi revealed that other strategies include:

• creating an energy management system (EMS) with dashboards of real-time equipment efficiency and peak performance targets, allowing operators to maintain vigilance over opportunities and make improvements in the facility’s operations on a 24/7 basis
• developing a formal process of routinely analyzing and employing lessons learned from the reporting and trending functionality provided by the EMS to ensure they are incorporated into the operating procedure

All told, this brings the total of Energy Star-rated Citi sites — offices and other facilities mind you, this the company’s first data center to earn it  — to a cool 54. And it’s a smart move, too. More efficient computing centers not only mean less emissions, but also lower energy costs. And to a bank, where it’s all about watching that bottom line, that fact surely hasn’t gone unnoticed.