AFCO Points Out EPA Report Highlights

By Jeff Feinman

July 1, 2008 —  The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 130-page report to Congress might a big piece of pie to swallow, but data center product maker AFCO Systems has created a guide that highlights some key points of the report in an easier-to-chew form.

The Farmingdale, N.Y.-based company’s “EPA Report Summary” is a four-page wrap up of the EPA’s findings in the August 2007 report, which details current trends in data center operation and offers recommendations on how to improve energy use. The summary was released in May.

AFCO executives said that the EPA document is verbose and that there are a number of redundancies in the report. As a result, AFCO carefully read through the report and chose to mention some of the key points.

“The report offers both simple and surprising suggestions for making data centers more energy efficient,” said Katherine Merrigan, marketing manager of AFCO Systems. “For instance, there is increasing demands [sic] for data processing, storage, online banking, electronic trading; everything is being handled through networks and Internet communication. Even for the government sector, data centers are growing very rapidly as well.”

Other items handpicked by AFCO executives from the EPA report include the fact that current peak load on the power grid from data center usage is approximately 7 gigawatts, and that microprocessor, cooling fan and power supply losses combined can account for 50 to 80 percent of total server energy use. Improvements can be made in data center cooling through using variable-speed fans and chilled water pumps, rebalancing air-handler systems after IT configuration, and sizing systems and configuring redundancy.

AFCO also put together a list of four “M’s” for data center efficiency: measure, manage, monitor and maintain. Not only must room temperature be measured, but supply, server inlet and airflow must be taken into account as well, AFCO said.

As airflow must be managed constantly, cabinet level monitoring has become a necessity as loads approach 15 to 20 kilowatts per cabinet, and data center best practices should be maintained.

The EPA getting involved in data center management is important because it validates that there is a problem around energy efficiency, said John Consoli, vice president of sales for AFCO. With an ENERGY STAR rating for data centers in development, organizations will have the opportunity to invest in equipment that benefits them and the environment long-term, even if it costs a little more up front, he said.

“EPA involvement has also driven a lot of the utilities to start to consider giving rebates to companies who show responsibility to energy conservation,” Consoli said. “When you start talking about rebates and cost-savings, that gets people’s attention as well.”



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