EPA, Green Grid Focus on Small Computer Room Energy Efficiency
Looking to promote energy efficiency in small computer rooms, the EPA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with The Green Grid.
Looking to promote energy efficiency in small computer rooms, the EPA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with The Green Grid.
Computer rooms across the United States accounted for 1.5 percent of total U.S. electricity demand in 2006 - equivalent to the annual electric consumption of the state of Florida, says the EPA. While these computer rooms may be small, they are numerous at the EPA and other large organizations.
The energy efficiency process begins with evaluating an existing EPA computer room for ways to optimize energy efficiency, then finding ways to standardize processes and performance measures. Ultimately, the goal of this partnership is to share best practices for replication with other governmental agencies and industry stakeholders, says the EPA.
The EPA has begun the process in its National Computer Center (NCC) in Research Triangle Park, N.C. A review of the data center’s operating conditions resulted in shutting off six of the facility’s 13 computer room air conditioning units, while still meeting the cooling needs of the computer equipment. Combined with other efficiency efforts, the NCC achieved a 20.2 percent reduction in total energy use for FY 2007 compared to FY 2006, says the EPA.
EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson and John Tuccillo, a director of The Green Grid, signed the MOU.
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