How to Make Your Data Center Air Flow Management More Energy Efficient

If your company uses a data center, you’ve probably had to consider how to manage and control the air flow around it to prevent it from overheating. While you may already have an air flow control plan in place, you may want to reevaluate it to make sure it is as energy efficient as possible. By adhering to the following guidelines, you can reduce your overall energy output and ultimately save money for your company.

Start With Your Data Center

As you begin your energy efficiency plan, start by evaluating your current server room layout. Is it up-to-date? Outdated data centers could be using more energy than current models—and could, over time, be a large cost to your company. Next, assess your data center to see if any servers or racks are no longer necessary or being used. Decommissioning just one server rack could save you up to $500, making it a worthwhile measure for your business.

Begin Your Data Center’s Air Flow Management Plan

Those who are trying to manage the output of their data centers usually use one of two models: hot or cold aisle containment. Both are effective in their own ways and can make your data center’s air flow management work more efficiently. See which method will work best to keep your data center at the proper temperature.

• Hot aisle containment – Hot aisle containment can manage customized spots to prevent one area from being overcooled. This use of airflow containment can also work well for customization based on the size and space of a room.
• Cold aisle containment – Cold aisle containment can eliminate hot spots, reducing the overall stress on server units and providing uniform air temperature at server intakes.

The Cost Saving Benefits of Air Flow Control

As you plan the best way to manage the airflow for your data center, you probably have two main reasons for doing so: reducing your energy bill and keeping equipment from overheating (which would be extremely costly for your business). Energy Star has proven that colder rooms can keep your energy costs down. Energy Star also said data centers utilizing hot and cold aisle containment models can reduce energy expenses by 5 to 10 percent a year, translating to significant savings for your company.