5 Easy Power Saving Tips for Data Centers

Data centers are faced with the challenge of having clients who are entirely dependent on them for reliable and consistent service 24×7. To successfully accomplish this, data centers consume huge amounts of energy that add to business and service costs. Therefore, data centers need take the necessary steps to save energy and ensure uptime.

This is quite achievable if data centers adopt new power saving standards and innovations whenever they are available, while optimally maintaining current functions. Here are a few power saving tips that can help data centers save energy by implementing simple changes:

• Turning off equipment that’s not in use: A simple solution to a major problem is turning off equipment that is not in use, which is easy enough to do, yet it is often overlooked by most data centers or even regular homes and businesses. Keeping equipment on standby still consumes energy, so turning them off completely is a power saving solution worth remembering.
• The hot-aisle, cold-aisle trick: This is the simplest way a data center can conserve energy and most data centers adopt this as a routine function. Laying out of servers in this manner ensures not only optimum power consumption, but it also results in longer server lives.
• Optimum airflow management: Identifying the hot and cold spots in a data center helps in highly effective airflow management, which, in turn, results in lower power consumption to keep temperatures at required levels.
• Optimizing CPUs: CPUs of a server are the most power consuming components, and turning on their power management features is sure to help lower power levels required to keep them running.
• Begin measuring power usage: If data centers do not measure the amount of energy they consume with relation to specific functions, then allocating, reallocating or optimizing the use of energy can be a difficult task. Measuring the distribution of power is the first step in putting it to optimal use. Power Usage Effectiveness or PUE is the vital link here.

At Lifeline Data Centers, we ensure that the most innovative power saving guidelines are put to work so that energy will be used optimally. Saving as much power as possible, even in our routine activities, helps us save energy, allowing us to cut down on costs and offer competitive pricing. Contact us today for more information.

Alex Carroll

Managing Member at Lifeline Data Centers

Alex, co-owner, is responsible for all real estate, construction and mission critical facilities: hardened buildings, power systems, cooling systems, fire suppression, and environmentals. Alex also manages relationships with the telecommunications providers and has an extensive background in IT infrastructure support, database administration and software design and development. Alex architected Lifeline’s proprietary GRCA system and is hands-on every day in the data center.