Your Server Room And Energy Efficiency
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by: DexterWallslang | Total views: 175 | Word Count: 404
The issue of energy-efficiency in your computer room is not new, especially right now as the economic crisis continues on, which means this issue is even more important than ever. Its become a more important matter in both public and private organizations, and this year is definitely no exception. So if youre able to decrease the energy use of your organization, youll be saving it a lot of money, as well as lowering the load on the electricity grid, which will cut down on carbon emissions in our environment.
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. Improve Airflow Under Raised Floor
2. Coordinate CRAC Units
3. Implement Hot Aisles and Cold Aisles
4. Plug Holes in the Raised Floor
5. Plug Holes in the Raised Floor
Is there anything else you could do to help? There are always other options, the most important yet most difficult to do is upgrade your equipment. As necessary as it is, however, most administrators arent able to fund an upgrade to more energy-efficient cooling, airflow designs, or other related hardware and equipment. So youll need to analyze the ROI (return on investment). Once you do that and start to look at the long run, youll realize that paying for more expensive but highly energy-efficient upgrades is a very wise investment.
In order to justify your proposed investment, youll want to calculate the ROI offered by different scenarios. If you create models to outline the costs of ownership for different systems and configurations and do a full costs-benefits analysis over a period of many years, youll be able to ease the decision making process for your superiors. As you start making the switch to a more energy-efficient approach, your organization should probably phase in new equipment and hardware as part of the natural expansion and evolution of your IT systems.
About the Author
Dexter's articles offer great tips and advice about computer room design and a complete guide on energy efficiency and how to design your computer room.
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