Green House Data: Renewable Energy Client Leads the Way in Sustainability

Data centers across the United States collectively consumed 91 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2013. That number is poised to jump to 140 billion kilowatt-hours by 2020, according to the NRDC. And, while media attention focuses on high profile data center efficiency projects owned by innovative tech giants like Google and Facebook, small to mid-sized data centers claim the lion’s share of national energy use and carbon emissions.

Enter, Green House Data. Since the company’s founding in 2007, Green House Data has earned a leadership role among multi-tenant data centers for their dedication to top-notch service combined with an unwavering commitment to sustainability in their operations. To execute on the company’s mission of delivering high performance, custom technology infrastructure solutions to customers from the most environmentally, operationally, and capitally efficient data centers in the country, Green House Data starts with a philosophy that the greenest electron is the one that is never used.

Customers find the company based on their reputation for competitive performance, and they deepen their loyalty when they get engaged with Green House Data’s sustainability mission. In fact, several Green House Data customers tout their green computing choices in their sustainability reports.

How does Green House Data do it?

A modern story of startup triumph, Green House Data was founded in a recession and bootstrapped to success with a clear mission to operate a sustainable business and to achieve an energy efficient data center. From day one, the company partnered with Renewable Choice to purchase renewable energy credits (RECs) as part of their commitment to embracing clean power

“We see renewable energy as a key component to our sustainability story, and Renewable Choice is a true partner. On the open market, there are plenty of RECs available that do not meet our stringent standards, which includes being certifiable by EPA. Renewable Choice’s commitment to legitimate, ethical sourcing has been key in helping us earn recognition from the EPA Green Power Partnership and in giving us credibility and visibility as a sustainable business.” Wendy Fox, VP of Marketing

Since inception, Green House Data has been committed to green power. As the company has grown from a single facility to 7 nationwide locations, renewable energy purchasing has kept pace. In fact, when the company acquired a Seattle-based data center business in 2015, they upped the ante by purchasing green power to retroactively cover the previous 6 months of energy use at the purchased facilities.

Green House Data doesn’t just offset their environmental impact. They work vigorously to reduce their energy use from data center design to operation. “Our philosophy is that the greenest electron is the one we don’t use,” says Fox. When Green House Data had the opportunity to design a new, purpose-built 35,000 SF data center, they chose to locate it in Cheyenne, near the site of an existing facility, to take advantage of the region’s naturally cool and dry conditions, cooling 365 days a year with outside, ambient air. In addition, hot aisle containment, which separates incoming cold air from the hot air exhausted by servers, eliminates chaos-cooling and benefits cooling load much more than simple row segregation.

Expect Green House Data to continue to raise the bar on sustainable business. As a certified B Corp, the company has completed a rigorous assessment process certifying that they demonstrate the best business practices for their employees, community, and the environment.  The company is one of 1,598 certified B Corps worldwide, along with Renewable Choice.

“B Corp certification challenges us to keep striving to do an even better job,” says Fox.

Is your business ready to be recognized as a sustainability leader? Reach out to Schneider Electric to learn about how renewable energy can be part of your sustainability strategy.

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