Data Center Risk Avoidance with CPTED
What in the world is a DCEP, and why should I even care?
The Data Center Energy Practitioner, or “DCEP, is an important certification for you to know about. This is especially true if you are involved with government data centers, or if you’re involved with reducing the cost of operations even if it’s not a government data center.
The DCEP program and the US Department of Energy
The US DOE partnered with industry to create the DCEP program. Through this program, individuals are certified to evaluate the energy status and efficiency opportunities in data centers. The key objective of the program is to accelerate energy savings in the dynamic and energy-intensive marketplace of data centers.
In order to perform accurate energy assessments in data centers, one needs specialized knowledge, training, and skills. Consequently, certified energy practitioners bring consistency of qualifications and approach as well as a high level of repeat-ability and credibility of recommendations.
There are two levels of DCEP Training
The prospective candidate can consider two levels of certifications.
The first of these is the DCEP Generalist. The Generalist is trained to identify energy efficiency opportunities in a broad range of infrastructure and operational areas. Impactful corrective measures along with the ROI are identified by the Generalist. The DCEP Generalist certification involves a one-day course with examination.
Another level is the DCEP Specialist. Specialists are trained to go deeper into specific areas of data center infrastructure and operations to identify energy efficiency opportunities, corrective actions and the payback periods. The Specialist courses are one or two day sessions, depending on the area of specialization, with an exam.
Increased demand for DCEP Certifications
Now here’s another thing. In 2016, a directive from the White House requires Federal agencies to develop and report on data center strategies to transition to more efficient infrastructure. Furthermore, the directive mandates that all government data center projects have at least one certified DCEP. Therefore, this will increase the demand for engineers with this qualification, and not just in the Federal sector.
Where can you find DCEP training and certification
I have been a DCEP trainer since the beginning of this program in 2009. In addition, my company, Green Circle, LLC is a designated training organization for these certifications. If you’re interested in becoming certified, give me a call. Additional information on the DCEP certification can be found here.
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Data centers are energy-intensive and opportunities exist to reduce energy use, but significant knowledge, training, and skills are required to perform accurate data center energy assessments.