Regulation · Updated
What the EU data-centre label means for heat reuse
From 2027 every rated EU data centre gets a label that answers one question about its heat: is the site ready to reuse it? Here is what the label shows and what an operator can do about it now.
A new rating scheme
On 21 September 2026 the European Commission adopted a delegated regulation establishing a common EU sustainability rating scheme for data centres. It will enter into force once the European Parliament and Council scrutiny period has ended and it has been published in the Official Journal of the EU. The first labels will be issued by 15 August 2027, and the Commission will review the scheme by 31 December 2028.
What the label shows
The label shows the data centre's identity (name, operator, type, size category, location, reporting period, entry into operation), the energy efficiency class (PUE, A to G), the water efficiency class (WUE, A to G, based on freshwater use), the sourcing of energy (renewable and nuclear, on-site, PPA or guarantees of origin), the cooling degree days of the location, how much of the purchased energy comes from new capacity, which grid flexibility function the site provides, and a yes/no for waste heat reuse readiness. The amount of heat actually reused is not on the label; it is published as national and EU averages.
What “reuse ready” means
Waste heat reuse readiness means that a data centre is designed or retrofitted to capture and supply waste heat to external users at its boundary, for example through heat exchangers, dedicated hydraulic loops and thermal metering, whether or not heat pumps or a heat network are yet in place.
Data centres not yet in operation may join the scheme voluntarily with the values they are designed or expected to achieve after two calendar years of operation; their entry into operation is shown as "DESIGN". A new build can therefore plan for a "yes" from the start.
Heat pumps do not count against PUE
Electricity used in technologies that upgrade the temperature of heat that is then reused, such as heat pumps, boosters, heat transformers, heat exchangers and heat network equipment, is subtracted from the data centre's total energy. Upgrading heat for reuse does not worsen the efficiency class.
The label sits on top of existing duties
Under the EU Energy Efficiency Directive, data centres above 1 MW must use their waste heat unless a cost-benefit analysis shows it is not technically or economically feasible, and data centres with at least 500 kW of installed IT power must report their energy performance annually to the European data centre database. The label makes the result visible to customers, investors and communities.
What to do now
The cheapest moment to become reuse ready is the design stage: plan a tap point on the cooling return, a heat exchanger that separates the circuits and heat metering at the boundary. The Avans Heat Hub ties in at the fence in exactly this way, and gives the heat somewhere to go all year.