Higher PUE limits and extended deadlines: How the EnEfG amendment relaxes data center obligations

6 min read

On 24 June 2026, the German federal cabinet approved the amendment to the Energy Efficiency Act, easing several obligations for data centres, extending deadlines and raising the threshold at which a data centre even falls under the law. For operators, this brings welcome planning certainty. Municipal associations, however, see watered-down climate targets. A closer look at what’s really in the draft.

Key Takeaways

• PUE thresholds relaxed: Existing data centres now need to achieve a PUE of 1.6 by mid-2027 and 1.4 by 2030, instead of the previously planned 1.5 and 1.3. New builds still face the strict target of 1.2, but the deadline to meet it doubles from two to four years.
• Fewer data centres affected: The threshold rises from 300 kW connected load to 500 kW installed IT capacity, removing smaller sites from the scope entirely.
• Waste heat softened: The mandatory waste-heat utilisation is replaced by a simple cost-benefit analysis. Meanwhile, Germany already faces an EU infringement procedure over its delayed implementation.

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What’s changing in the PUE limits

The Power Usage Effectiveness, or PUE, is the law’s key metric. It measures how much power a data centre consumes beyond pure IT load-mainly for cooling. A value of 1.2 means that for every kilowatt-hour of compute, an extra 0.2 kWh is used for operations. The closer to 1.0, the better.

The amendment eases the pressure. Existing data centres now face a required PUE of 1.6 from mid-2027 (up from 1.5) and 1.4 by 2030 (up from 1.3). The government cites the need to maintain redundancy in older facilities that cannot be optimised indefinitely. New builds still target 1.2, but the compliance window stretches from two to four years on an annualised basis.

This is precisely where the Bitkom digital association had hoped for further concessions. Its argument: a PUE of 1.2 is often unattainable with traditional air-cooling in live operations; a realistic target would have been 1.3. The extended deadline is the compromise that remains.

Who will no longer be covered by the law

Perhaps the most consequential change isn’t about threshold values, but about the definition itself. Until now, a data centre was regulated from a nominal connection capacity of 300 kilowatts. In future, the installed IT power will count. The threshold is 500 kilowatts. As a result, numerous smaller facilities will drop entirely out of scope.

The reporting obligations are shrinking too. The circle of data centres required to submit their key figures is being drawn much more narrowly. The previous duty to provide information to heat-network operators is being scrapped. In return, the responsible Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control has announced it will step up random checks.

The flashpoint: waste heat and climate targets

Criticism is focusing on waste heat. Until now the law obliged operators, in principle, to avoid or utilise generated waste heat. The amendment replaces this sweeping obligation with a pure cost-benefit analysis that carries no binding implementation. Municipal associations warn that this will deprive local heat planning of valuable data.

Even the power-supply rules are being relaxed. The requirement to cover 100 % of consumption with renewable energy by 2027 is being pushed back to 2030. The staged minimum quotas for reused waste heat-10 %, then 15 %, then 20 %-remain in place, yet new exemptions are being added.

The Bitkom industry association calls the amendment a partial correction of impractical stipulations. At the same time the federation stresses that the PUE alone is too narrow a yardstick because it says nothing about where the electricity comes from or what happens to the heat. The truth lies between the two camps: more realism for operators, fewer levers for climate protection.

Why the clock is ticking

Hovering over everything is European pressure. The underlying EU Energy Efficiency Directive should already have been transposed into German law by 10 October 2025. Because that deadline was missed, the European Commission has launched an infringement procedure. The amendment is therefore also an attempt to close an open case.

At the same time, the federal government is positioning Germany as a location for AI. The national data-centre strategy adopted in March 2026 is meant to ease new facilities. Efficiency requirements that are seen as impractical sit awkwardly with that goal. The relaxations are therefore not just concessions, but also location policy.

What operators should do now

For day-to-day practice there are four calm but clear steps.

1. Re-check your classification. If you are close to the new 500-kilowatt threshold, measure your installed IT power precisely. That determines whether the law still applies to you at all.
2. Re-calculate your PUE roadmap. The postponed thresholds and deadlines change the investment plan for cooling and modernisation. The extra breathing space can be used strategically.
3. Keep thinking about waste heat anyway. Even without a hard obligation, waste-heat utilisation remains a location and image factor. Municipalities and customers are increasingly asking for it.
4. Watch the EU timetable. As long as the infringement procedure is open, the schedule can still shift. Keeping an eye on developments means you won’t be caught off guard.

Frequently Asked Questions

Image source: AI-generated (July 2026)