According to Standard University, data centers are estimated to consume around 2% of all power generated in the United States. And the demand for increased computing capacity means power consumption will also continue to increase. As it currently stands, as much as 50% of your power bill may be consumed by data center cooling. So, as you can imagine, Energy Efficient Cooling Technologies have become a hot topic as of late.
Data Center Cooling: Energy Efficient Tips
- Upgrade: Upgrading your old servers to newer, more energy efficient servers can help lower power consumption without sacrificing performance. In some instances, performance can actually increase, while power consumption decreases. That is what we call a win-win.
- Floor Space: How big is your server room? Is it bigger than it needs to be? There is no sense in cooling space that doesn’t need it. Consider reducing your floor plan to help cut cooling needs.
- Chimneys: Chimneys over racks remove hot exhaust from servers more efficiently by reducing mixing with chilled air.
- Liquid Cooling: Using liquid instead of air to cool IT equipment is another efficient practice that is gaining ground in the industry, especially for high-performance computing applications.
- Variable Speed Drives: On older computer room air conditioners (CRACs) and computer room air handlers (CRAHs), the fan spins at a constant speed, regardless of how much cooling is actually needed. Variable speed drives are much more efficient, providing more regulated cooling output by responding to changing conditions.
- Monitoring: By monitoring your data center, you can identify areas for improvement and temperature tolerances for equipment.
- Computational Fluid Dynamics: As the price of computational fluid dynamics continues to fall, it will become a much more viable means to improve data center design.
- Crockett Facilities Services: Crockett Facilities Services is ready to help you with your mission-critical data center needs. Our Liebert, Emerson and Stulz factory-certified technicians are experts in preventive maintenance services for computer room air conditioners (CRACs), servicing clients such as NASA, NOAA, and the Department of Defense.
To learn more about Data Center Cooling and Energy Efficient Cooling Technologies, please contact Crockett Facilities Services (CFSI) at 202.600.2787 or sales@crockett-facilities.com.
CFSI is a sponsor of the 2nd Annual Data Center Investment Conference and Expo (DICE) – June 19-20 at the JW Marriott in Washington, DC. This national Bisnow summit on the data centers sector brings together dozens of industry leaders to discuss current trends, projects, and opportunities.