I have been involved in the telecommunications industry as long as I can remember. One of my best memorys is sitting on a packing crate at age 8, helping my Dad install equipment in a small central office in Okalona, Arkansas. I was strapping blocks (wiring) for a STEP installation.I have worked for several ILECs including Bellsouth
In the mid 80s as the line between IT and Telecom began to blur, I became more involved with IT and networks. During that time I earned several Microsoft and Cisco certifications.
My latest venture is working for Hardy Services and getting something called Site Support Services started.
The Site Support Services Department was created to offer turnkey support for Mission Critical Infrastructure. We instal , reapir and service all types of data center cooling , UPS and power systems, fire suppression systems, acces flooring, data center security access control and video.
Although I am very familiar with Information Technology and the facilities that maintain that infrastructure, the mechanical side is new to me. I am learning as I go with the help of lots of folks here at Hardy and all the online training available to the industry.
I thought I would share my "learning experiences".
Here are a few quick thoughts about some strategies to lower your carbon footprint and save energy dollars:
Monitoring,Benchmarking and Data Center Metrics - This is probably the most important part of any energy saving strategy. You cannot fix what you don't know about or understand.
Once you built the data center, 70% of the cost of energy is already determined. The remaining is generally focused on how you use energy within the data center and the approaches applied will be determined by who is asking the question. An IT guy will suggest distributed computing solutions. An HVAC guy will suggest more efficienct chillers. Lighting guys will replace lights. The problem with any of these strategies are that they are intertwined with cost and almost all engineers only evaluate the single mode modifications. Better modeling is available and is much more accurate for managing energy costs as well as carbon content.
What caught my eye was your statement "You can't fix what you don't understand". I agree...even most HVAC engineers are not schooled on the more sophisticated control theory needed by IT centers. Also, I have a similar adage to the one you stated...You can't manage what you can't (don't) measure. Most IT HVAC system designers only focus on of convective heat transfer. They are often not conscious of, or discount seemingly more subtle system characteristics such as radiative heat transfer, because it cannot be seen, and is difficult to measure, but is an essential part of an energy balance. Hence, inaccurate performance analyses, lead to poor design, and excessive energy use.
It is often surprising how much energy consumption can be reduced, inexpensively, if there is a complete understanding of heat generation and distribution, coupled with real time energy measurement, and implementation of a reactive control sequence. Consequently, a higher level of sophistication is needed for design and operation of these facilities, because they are so energy intense, and control sensitive. However, if the “people portion” of your building is operating at more than $2.00 per square foot, the rewards for an expert, multi-mode, assessment of your HVAC system and controls, can be quite large.