In a recent webinar, How to Reduce Energy Wastage in Your Data Center, Lorie Wigle of Intel shared lessons learned in how to run the most efficient and effective data centers.
During the webinar Wigle answered the important question of “Why?” first. She finds that in a world where dependency on data centers is increasing rapidly every day, it is essential to run these centers with a focused efficiency. At the current rate, these centers are increasing in energy usage, mostly from a lack of companies updating their hardware. When improving data center efficiency, your best bet is to make your server more energy efficient—saving you in both cooling and power.
Second, Wigle provided the first step towards increasing efficiency: measuring your waste. To do so, use the metrics of PUE, or Power Usage Effectiveness. This set of facility oriented metrics will tell you exactly how much power you are wasting on average. After figuring out this number you can begin to improve your PUE through “smart redundancy.” Ask yourself: What should be redundant? The data center itself? Power delivery paths? Power supplies? The cooling loop? Data center fans? Be sure to provide just enough redundancy. Wigle also made the point that it helps to be green from the start. Revising your infrastructure later on can become quite the monster!
Third, Wigle listed off some “best practices” that will instantly help increase data center efficiency. These include, but are not limited to:
- Power containment with integrated IT and building controls
- Keeping hot and cold air separate
- Free cooling with air or water economizers
- Expanding data center temperatures and humidity ranges
- Shutting off unused equipment
- Consolidating computing loads
- Using modern equipment
- Staying on top of measuring your waste!
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