A system and method for providing energy assessment and optimization in a data center that includes at least one cooling provider, and at least one cooling consumer, the at least one cooling consumer having cooling requirements. The method according to one aspect includes receiving data regarding cooling availability and power consumption for the at least one cooling consumer, cooling capacity of the at least one cooling provider, and a physical relationship between the at least one cooling consumer and the at least one cooling provider in the data center, storing the received data, determining airflow distribution effectiveness between the at least one cooling consumer and the at least one cooling provider, and displaying at least one value representative of the effectiveness of the distribution of airflow in the data center between the at least one cooling consumer and the at least one cooling provider.