The economy of energy in data centers is a delicate balance, as you need to precisely manage the temperatures of multiple different locations to keep servers cool enough for optimal functionality. Even if you have the proper server room configuration, you may not be using energy effectively. This is a frequent problem for FMs and one that many don’t know they have.
The Green Grid, a global group of companies, government agencies, educational institutions, and individuals aiming for efficiency in IT and data centers, has developed a new multi-metric system to test a data center’s cooling performance and provide opportunities to achieve higher efficiency.
“The added demands of availability, capacity and sustainability placed on the data center have left many operators searching for a comprehensive understanding of their facility,” says Roel Castelein, Marketing Chair of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) for the Green Grid.
The Performance Indicator addresses availability, capacity and sustainability through three distinct metrics: power ratios, thermal conformance and thermal resilience. These metrics address how equipment is cooled when it is running normally, when it needs maintenance, and when it is failing. This ensures FMs can not only manage efficiency, but also prepare for incidents where systems may not work correctly.
“In order to establish a more complete view of facility cooling, the requirement to calculate cooling effectiveness and the data center’s future thermal state is critical,” explains Castelein.
The proper cooling system in a server room is critical to your building’s energy bill and the technological upkeep necessary for operation. Management of these systems can be tricky, but tools like the Performance Indicator help address efficiency plans in data centers.
For more information on the Performance Indicator and other efficiency solutions, visit www.thegreengrid.org.
