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July 31, 2009
• Vol.31 Issue 20
Page(s) 7 in print issue
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You Have The Power
10 Things You Can Do To Reduce Data Center Power Use
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 Power usage is one of the biggest concerns for a data center, particularly because it involves so many other aspects of operations, such as heating and cooling, network efficiency, and monitoring. Here are 10 ways to reduce power use without negatively affecting the data center.
 Do An Onsite Audit & Modeling
An audit can help identify areas of inefficiency, says Greg Stover, senior vice president of sales at NER (www.nerdata.com). The audit should take into account items such as room layout, rack-by-rack IT equipment densities, CRAC type and location, total equipment power consumption, point temperatures throughout the room, cutouts, and leakage. Stover says, “Next, a modeling process with many iterations and scenarios can help you develop a complete thermal solution for the data center that prevents excess power use.”
Separate Hot & Cold
A major source of inefficiency and power waste comes from mixing hot exhaust air with cold supply air, says Al Zoldos, vice president of sales at Staples Technology Solutions (www.staplestechnologysolutions.com). To minimize air mixing, he recommends employing a hot aisle/cold aisle configuration to separate the two. Blanking panels in the cabinets can also be used to prevent hot air from mixing with cold air passing through the cabinet.
Block All Bypass Air
According to Ben Stewart, senior vice president of facilities engineering at Terremark (www.terremark.com), bypass air is cold supply air from the CRAC that gets back to the return without passing through a perforated tile. Likely places to find bypass air are in cable openings in the raised floor or below floor openings. Close holes in the raised floor and strategically locate perforated tiles and baffles.
Use Variable-Frequency Drives
Stewart also recommends the use of variable-frequency drives because data center managers can select the precise speed they need. Slowing a motor by only 12% cuts its power usage in half, he notes.
Go European
Another tip from Stewart is to adopt the European voltage distribution model. Rather than powering the data center at 208/120VAC, employ 400/240VAC. “Server power supplies will accept the higher voltage just fine, and this reduces the number of transformers required,” says Stewart. “This reduces transformer losses and reduces power consumption.”
Integrate Sensors Into The Mix
Data center instrumentation should include sensors that allow a data center manager to monitor heat generation, power consumption, and cooling effectiveness, notes Kris Domich, principal consultant at Dimension Data (www.dimensiondata.com). He says, “Tools that provide information pertaining to where heat is being generated, as well as how much power is being delivered and consumed within the data center as a whole and in specific parts, will allow you to more finely tune your power distribution and cooling capabilities.”
Set A Higher Temperature
Just as setting the temperature in a home a little higher in the summer and a little lower in the winter saves power usage, a data center can save power usage through effective temperature control. Michael Hogan, global offering manager of site and facilities services at IBM (www.ibm.com), compares data centers to meat lockers that are set at lower temperatures throughout to deal with specific hot spots. He recommends using outside air to cool the data center in addition to raising temperature settings by a few degrees, which he believes can result in a savings of up to 10%.
Enable Power Management Settings On PCs
The EPA estimates that machines are sitting idle during 58% of a business day, points out Nick Cavalancia, vice president of Windows management at ScriptLogic (www.scriptlogic.com). He believes IT managers should configure power management settings to conserve energy by turning off desktop monitors after at least 15 minutes of inactivity and putting computers on standby/sleep after an hour. Cavalancia says, “Utilizing the sleep mode prevents people from losing unsaved work if they left an application open and allows the workstations to receive upgrades at off-peak times.” Windows offers control of some power management settings, but there are also third-party tools that allow for more granular control to selectively implement settings that work for each department. (For more information on power management, see “Conserve Power At Rest” on page 7.)
Shut Down Inactive Machines After Hours
Another EPA fact: Only 36% of machines are turned off at night. Cavalancia says that’s wasted energy of about 16 hours per day on weekdays and 24 hours per day on weekends. Using a solution that measures computer inactivity and automatically shuts down the machine could bring formidable power usage savings.
Tap Into Incentive Programs
If a data center needs a bit more budget money for employing power-saving strategies, it’s worth the time to do some research on an area’s incentive programs. Local, state, and regional utility companies continue to implement programs that offer business customers incentives for reducing energy consumption, notes Cavalancia. IT administrators should contact their utility company or management software vendor to see if the company might be eligible. Some programs offer rebates on energy bills, while others reimburse the cost of preferred power management solutions or energy-efficient hardware. 
by Elizabeth Millard
Overall Action Plan
According to Joe Polastre, CTO and co-founder of energy management firm Sentilla (www.sentilla.com), data centers can reduce power usage by using the “measure-analyze-act” system:
• Measure: Arm yourself with as much information as is practical and set a baseline for consumption.
• Analyze: Identify offenders, waste, and unknowns and uncover trends.
• Act: Adjust operations, schedules, and cooling; replace, repair, and turn off offending equipment; and adopt automation solutions.
Polastre says that through the “measure-analyze-act” system, SMEs can maintain optimized energy usage, reduce their carbon emissions, and lower their costs.
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