Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Server Room Energy Efficiency

By Dexter Wallslang

Energy efficiency is not a new issue " its probably always running through the back of your mind, especially now as the current economic crisis continues. Its become more and more important than ever that your server room operates with better efficiency. This is an major subject of concern for both private and public sectors, and this year is definitely no exception. If youre able to successfully improve the energy efficiency in your data center, youre going to save your organization a lot of money, and youll be cutting down on carbon emissions caused by your servers demands on the power grid.

Equipment producers are inventing and creating new technologies every year in order to accommodate ever-increasing demands. This is enabling server room administrators to decrease their energy use in their buildings, but only if they have the funding. Thats always the most difficult part. And even if you manage to get the funding and implement new systems, it seems like theres always room for improvement.

Right now, with funding down, the financial impact of the server rooms high energy use is becoming a major issue for corporations. Thats why theres this list of five highly-recommended ideas that require little or no additional funding, but can dramatically improve your data centers energy efficiency:

1. Implement Hot Aisles and Cold Aisles

2. Plug Any Holes in the Raised Floor

3. Install Blanking Panels

4. Install Blanking Panels

5. Organize CRAC Units

Are there any other solutions? Of course there is " upgrade your equipment. However, a lot of administrators arent able to pay the additional costs associated with upgrading to more energy-efficient server room cooling, airflow designs, or other related equipment. But if you analyze the ROI (return on investment), paying for more expensive yet highly-efficient equipment is a smart investment when you look at the big picture.

Chances are, even if you think upgrading will save your company millions, youre still going to have to convince your superiors. So youll want to calculate the ROI that will come from your various scenarios you came up with in order to justify your investment. Theyll probably lean in your favor if you can show them the costs of ownership for your scenarios and do a proper costs-benefit analysis for quite a few years time. Also recommend that you not purchase all the upgrades and new equipment at once. You should start slowly. Start your new approach towards an energy-efficient server room by phasing in your new equipment and hardware as part of the companys natural evolution and expansion.

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