Over zealous British bureaucrats are interpreting EC directives to disadvantage the UK’s data center industry, claims TechUK, which aims to rationalize climate change imperatives with the needs of the industry.

The situation is unlikely to improve until the perception of the IT industry improves, said Emma Fryer, associate director of the climate change programme at industry body TechUK.

“The problem is that they seem to regard our industry as inherently evil,” said Fryer.

Fryer’s presentation on the Impact of Carbon Legislation outlined how TechUK aims to negotiate a better climate change agreement for data centers.

Fryer described the CRC as a “dog’s breakfast” and quoted the CBI’s verdict that British industry is legislated over by the worst possible options for environmental control.

“And that is a very competitive field,” said Fryer, “the government is obsessed with net reduction, and not efficiency.”

The situation could be about to get worse, warned Fryer, as the increasing politicization of energy makes the data center sector an easy target.

“Ed Miliband’s speech on capping energy prices is a danger sign for this sector. It could lead to a distortion of the electricity market,” said Fryer.

The EU’s Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) exemplifies how lack of understanding is damaging the data center industry, said Fryer.

“British officials made a unique interpretation of the directive on back up generators,” said Fryer, “so now London data centres have to pay costs that their counterparts in Germany and Holland do not have to absorb.”

Fryer called on the data center industry to do more to inform policy among politicians and policy devisers.

The scale of the challenge in obtaining influence is massive, she warned.

“In two and a half years, I have met four different teams in government. It’s a revolving door,” said Fryer. “Governments always listen to Greenpeace, even on matters of high tech. They should be listening to us.”