Control Air Flow to increase Cost Savings in a Data Center

Learn how to control air flow for cost savings in your data center.

Data Centers are a big drain on power consumption. Not only is it a drain on communities that share this power, but the amount of servers, other IT equipment, and heating & cooling units required is expensive for any business to run 24/7.  As an incentive to monitor and minimize their consumption, the EPA and electric utilities are offering financial rebates* to data centers that are designed to reduce energy consumption. In order to qualify for the rebates, data centers need to structure their containment strategies and control air flow in order to maintain temperatures and energy use to consistent levels.

Air Flow Management at the Rack Level

Air flow management at the rack level can prevent up to 60% of lost air flow and help to minimize the co-mingling of cold / hot air flow in a data center. One of the most cost efficient and effective methods to contain air flow and thus, controlling cooling costs, is to contain server aisles using flexible ESD Curtains or rigid containment panels at the ceiling level; to the top of the server racks, and around openings in the server racks. Server aisle containment barriers control the route of cold air supply streams and the hot exhaust to return ducts by isolating the air streams to the server aisles. In cold aisle containment, the cold air flow generated by air conditioning systems force the hot air generated by the server units to the outside of the containment area.

Air flow containment using data center curtains and rigid panels for server racks are an easy and inexpensive way to help the data center aisles maintain consistent temperatures for hardware operating conditions and provide a livable climate for IT personnel. Other air blocking solutions such as blanking panels, air sealing doors, foam barrier cubes, and cable & floor grommets reduce leaks within the server racks to further create a rack-based air flow containment system. Server aisle containment products provide a proven means to control air flow to save energy and optimize data center equipment functionality.

Determine Your Best Containment Option

Hot aisle containment and Cold aisle containment in a Data center provide a sustainable means of controlling energy costs for cost savings. The best containment method for your site is usually determined by the location of your cold air vents and hot air return ducts. If you have the option to build a new data center, then you can build a scalable rack arrangement to not only serve your current needs, but will make it easy to expand upon your data center infrastructure.

To protect your IT investments and improve the performance of server units, every business needs to understand how aisle containment and air blocking barriers provide temperature control air flow dynamics at the aisle level of the data center. FabraCraft’s containment strategies provide increased temperature control, better air flow efficiency, and improved equipment performance while reducing overall energy consumption.

For more information on Air Flow Management in Data Center Server Aisles visit: http://www.fabracraftdatacentercurtains.com/air-flow-management/

For information on the energy rebate available to you, visit the US government Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency website at: http://www.dsireusa.org/

*To become Energy Star certified, you’ll need data to support your power reduction for 12 months.