Data Center & IT Equipment
Businesses can reduce energy use and save money with high-efficiency data servers and server environments.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, data centers and servers consume an estimated 3% of the electricity produced in the United States. Businesses of every size rely on servers to provide a mix of storage, database, and software hosting services. Servers can be housed either on-site in a dedicated space, or off-site at a data center. For businesses with on-site servers, significant savings are possible when ENERGY STAR® certified equipment is combined with basic changes to the server room environment.
Data Server Types
Although most Vermont businesses have on-site servers, many choose to use off-site data centers (or co-location facilities). These approaches can also be combined for backup protection. Virtual servers—found both on-site and off-site—run multiple servers from just one server box. This can allow you to eliminate some of your current equipment. When choosing on-site servers, look for the ENERGY STAR qualification. These products use an average of 30% less energy than standard servers.
- Cut server energy use by 30% with ENERGY STAR certified models
- Reduce on-site equipment costs by installing a virtual server
- Off-site data centers can offer leading-edge, high-efficiency solutions
Optimizing the Server Room
You can take several steps to optimize efficiency in your business’s server room. First, maintain a room temperature between 64 and 81 degrees, as well as keeping it at humidity levels specified by the manufacturer. Next, consider a hot aisle / cold aisle layout, blanking panels for server racks, and curtains to further segregate heat and cold. These measures help to cool your servers more efficiently. Free outdoor air can often be used to directly cool or extract heat from a server room. And when possible, the room’s heat can be recycled to preheat air going elsewhere in your business, a process known as heat recovery.
- Save energy with easy layout and rack configuration changes
- Optimize HVAC systems to work in concert with server rooms
- Add variable frequency drives to fans to reduce costs even more
Other Ways to Use Less Energy
An uninterruptable power supply (UPS) ensures that equipment keeps running during a power outage. Choose an ENERGY STAR certified UPS for best efficiency. Server power management software puts servers into low-power mode when idle. Networked power management features (PMF) allow IT professionals to manage sleep-mode settings across a network. And virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) helps them maintain and protect front-end computers from viruses.
- An ENERGY STAR certified UPS uses 35% less energy on average than a standard UPS
- Power management helps both back-end servers and front-end computers use less energy
- VDI (aka “thin clients”) boost the security of IT networks and use less energy than a standard PC or laptop