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●Adopt power distribution at 208V/230V.

To satisfy global markets, virtually all IT equipment is rated to work with input power voltages ranging from 100V to 240V AC. The higher the voltage, the more efficiently the unit operates; however, most equipment is run off of lower-voltage power, sacrificing efficiency for tradition.

Just by using the right power cord, you could save money. An HP (Hewlett-Packard) ProLiant DL380 Generation 5 server, for example, operates at 82-percent efficiency at 120V, 84-percent efficiency at 208V, and 85-percent at 230V. You could gain that incremental advantage just by changing the input power (and the power distribution unit in the rack).

What about power distribution in the data center? Typically, the UPS(uninterruptible power system) operates at 480V, and a power distribution unit (PDU) steps down that power from 480V to 208V or 120V. If you could eliminate that step-down transformer in the PDU by distributing power at 400/230V and operating IT equipment at higher voltages (using technology available today), the power chain would be more efficient. Distributing power at 400/230V can be 3-percent more efficient in voltage transformation and 2-percent more efficient in the power supply in the IT equipment. This slight increase in efficiency is still worthwhile; a data center with 1,000 servers could save $40,000.

●Adopt best practices for cooling.

Your organization might have some ready opportunities to reduce cooling costs through these best practices:

a.Use hot aisle/cold aisle enclosure configurations. By alternating equipment so there is an aisle with a cold air intake and another with hot air exhaust, you can create a more uniform air temperature.

b.Use blanking panels inside equipment enclosures so that air from hot aisles doesn't mix with air from cold aisles.

c.Seal cable outputs to minimize "bypass airflow," whereby cool air is short cycling back to cooling units instead of circulating evenly throughout the data center. This phenomenon affects as much as 60 percent of the cool-air supply in computer rooms.

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