The EU code of Conduct for Data Centres for 2010 has just been released and can be found at the link below. There are a number of elements that I find particularly interesting however Sections 4 has the greatest professional relevance.  As with most code of conduct documents a lot of what is included is common sense however as the document places a potential value on each item you could surmise that those sections with the highest potential benefit are also those that are currently least deployed.

This brings me to section 4.3 Management of Existing IT equipment and services. The greatest benefits are seen when unused or rarely used services are turned off and archived, (both are awarded top saving potential rating). This confirms my observations that very few systems are ever turned off, even long after they taken in any new data.

It also recommends virtualising those applications, however I wish to challenge the common misconception that “virtualise” in this context means server virtualisation alone. If the, wanted but historic, data is archived to an environment where it can still be accessed without turning on another VM, we have in essence virtualised the data without the power and management overheads associated with migrating limited value data to new hardware. This approach of application retirement has a double benefit. Not only can you comply and start reaping the savings of the COC quicker -  It costs less to get there.

http://re.jrc.ec.europa.eu/energyefficiency/html/standby_initiative_data_centers.htm