Data Center Power Cost Calculator

Power is data center's primary cost and constraint — PUE determines efficiency.

Contracted MW

Utilization %

PUE

Power rate / kWh

Colo rate / kW / month

Monthly power cost

$660,960

Monthly colo revenue

$1,200,000

Gross margin / mo

$539,040

How the math works

IT kW = MW × 1000 × util. Total kW = IT × PUE. Power = total × 720hr × rate.

10MW × 85% × 1.35 = 11.475MW × 720 × $0.08 = $661k cost. $1.2M rev − $661k = $539k gross.

How to Use

Enter contracted MW capacity.
Enter utilization %.
Enter PUE (power usage effectiveness).
Enter power rate per kWh.
Enter colo retail rate per kW-month.
Read monthly power cost and revenue.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is PUE?

Power Usage Effectiveness = total facility power ÷ IT equipment power. Ideal PUE = 1.00 (all power to IT). Real facilities: 1.15-1.80. Hyperscale (AWS, Google, Meta): 1.10-1.25 (best-in-class). Enterprise colo: 1.30-1.60 (mainstream). Legacy/small colo: 1.60-2.20. Every 0.1 improvement in PUE saves ~10% total power cost. PUE drives competitive advantage.

Colo retail pricing?

Retail colo: $150-400/kW/month all-in (space + power + cooling + network). Wholesale: $80-200/kW/mo (large blocks). Enterprise (1-5 cabinets): $100-300/cabinet/mo + power markup. Hyperscale leasing (build-to-suit): $65-120/kW/mo (10+ MW commitments). AI/GPU compute (high-density): $250-500/kW/mo. Market rate varies by: region (VA/Dallas cheaper, NY/SF/Singapore premium), density, contract term, power commitment.

Power cost structure?

Data center customer pays: (1) contracted kW commitment (90-100% of contracted, like take-or-pay), (2) actual metered usage above commitment, (3) PUE markup (multiplier on IT power to recover cooling/losses). Wholesale bills often: energy passthrough at cost + $30-80/kW/mo for cooling/PUE. Retail bills: bundled into kW rate. Renewable energy commitments (PPAs): 30-70% of large colo power.

Margin math?

Wholesale operator at $85/kW-mo buying power at $0.10/kWh with PUE 1.35: cost = 1.35 × 720hr × $0.10 = $97/kW-mo (loss!). Need $115-140/kW-mo rate to cover total ops. Profitable operator: $120/kW-mo rate, $0.06 power (industrial agreement), PUE 1.30 → cost $56 + $25 ops = $81; margin $39/kW-mo = 32%. Sophisticated power purchasing is critical.