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20% of the total operation costs within a typical data center is absorbed by electrical power consumption. UPS, air conditioning systems and lighting concentrate the main power consumption in traditional data centers. Much of this energy is wasted by overheating, which turns data centers into inefficient structures.

This problem becomes increasingly cumbersome with the use of processing systems that concentrate high power density, such as blade servers and variable power consumption.

Luckily, new scalable designs have been developed for data centers to grow alongside your company’s increasing needs. These designs are reconfigurable, and since they are modular, they can meet current business needs and adapt as the different requirements increase. What’s more, many of the components present in these designs are hot swappable, which means any given module can be substituted for during its maintenance without the need to switch off the entire system.

Some recommendations to improve electrical efficiency in data centers

1. Accurately measure infrastructure, using a modular scalable architecture for UPS infrastructure and air conditioning systems. Savings: 10-30%.

2. Consolidate servers, which implies application consolidation in less servers, typically blade servers. Savings: 10-40%.

3. Use a more efficient air conditioning distribution, capable of providing row-based cooling. When the distance the airflow travels is reduced, power required by fans is minimized. Savings: 7-15%.

4. Use the power saving mode in air conditioning equipment. Savings: 4-15%.

5. Use an optimized plant distribution, with cold/hot aisles, and place air handlers in the most adequate locations. Savings: 5-12%.

6. Use the most efficient UPS equipment -they usually have half the losses than traditional UPS offers, at normal loads. Savings: 4-8%.

7. Locate ventilation windows appropriately. It is recommendable to look for expert counsel as to whether it is best to locate ventilation windows. Savings: 1-8%.

8. Coordinate the location of air conditioning equipment. Some data centers have airflows that compete with one another: while one of them is drying out the environment, the other one is humidifying it, which results in an absolute waste of resources. Savings: 0-10%.

9. Install power control lighting. It is advisable to use motion detection sensors or turn it off during some parts of the day. Savings: 1-3%.

10. Install blocking panels in unused rack space to avoid recirculation of hot air and save power by increasing air conditioning return temperature. Savings: 1-2%.

Anixter offers a wide variety of top-class solutions specially designed for modern data centers, with proven effectiveness in power saving strategies and low-cost implementation. For further information on this or any other Panduit product, please contact an Anixter sales representative.