The consumption of energy is a large ongoing cost for data centres. Costs can be higher than they need to be due to factors like inefficient hardware, poor airflow, and outdated power management.
This guide is designed to help your business adopt energy-efficient methods to cut back on costs while maintaining performance.
Keep reading to find out how to operate more efficiently as a business, with useful techniques that reduce pesky energy costs in data centres.
Use Energy Efficient Servers
This is the key first step we recommend that you take to cut back on energy costs. Consider modern enterprise servers that feature high-efficiency power supplies, lower wattage CPUs, and advanced cooling designs.
By replacing your old servers with effective new ones that support dynamic power management and virtualisation, you can reduce electricity consumption by up to 30%.
Finding servers with scalable performance enables the user to match their resources to workloads, avoiding unnecessary energy draw, while still supporting business growth.
Optimise Cooling and Airflow
Cooling makes up a big portion of energy use in data centres. Hot aisle & cold aisle configurations and raised flooring improve airflow and reduce the workload on HVAC systems.
You can install blanking panels, seal cable gaps, and use containment strategies to prevent hot air recirculation. Consistent maintenance of air filters, fan speed adjustments, and using variable speed chillers can also optimise energy use.
We recommend implementing temperature monitoring with automated alerts to ensure that servers stay within safe operating ranges without overcooling.
Virtualisation and Server Consolidation
A great way of maximising efficiency is by running multiple virtual machines on fewer physical servers. Virtualisation software allows workloads to be dynamically balanced across servers, which helps to limit idle energy consumption.
Many businesses consolidate underutilised servers into fewer, higher-capacity machines to reduce both power usage and cooling requirements.
Decommissioning old and inefficient servers will also prevent unnecessary electric draw. You can ensure that virtualisation remains optimised with regular monitoring of resource usage and scaling resources only when needed.
Combining server consolidation with modern energy-efficient hardware, compounds savings, creating a leaner and more sustainable IT environment.
Implement Energy Monitoring Tools
Tracking energy consumption is essential, as it helps you to identify inefficiencies and target improvements. Software-based monitoring solutions provide real-time metrics on power usage, CPU utilisation, and cooling load, which help administrators make data-driven decisions.
A smart idea is to set up alerts for abnormal consumption patterns to prevent waste and nip potential hardware issues in the bud early. Analyse trends over time in order to implement targeted strategies, such as workload scheduling during off-peak hours or consolidating workloads to fewer servers so that you can maximise energy savings and operate in the most efficient way possible.
Conclusion
When it comes to reducing energy costs in a data centre, it doesn’t require sacrificing performance. Instead, you just need to make smarter decisions and implement more efficient management.
Investing in energy-efficient hardware, improving airflow and cooling strategies, adopting virtualisation, and actively monitoring power usage are all ways that can help you massively cut back on operational expenses.