PUE Data Centre Assessment

To complement, our data centre planned preventative maintenance services Workspace Technology recommends an annual Power Usage Effectiveness - PUE Data Centre Survey where there is no fixed metering or measurement technology in place.

Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE Data Centre) Assessment

Metering the total energy used at a site is important, but it does not show how energy consumption is being used across an area or for a specific function e.g. a data centre facility. Without measurement it can be hard to understand why and where energy performance is poor and how to improve it.

As detailed within the data centre audit, if we can take relevant readings from existing meter,s we will be able to provide a “snapshot” PUE Data Centre rating for the room. If these readings are not available then it will only be possible to undertake a rating of the room through the deployment of the Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) Data Centre Assessment service.

Depending on the specific site requirements a ‘snapshot’ survey can be done however for a more accurate assessment we will require recording equipment to be left in place for a week or more.

The PUE Data Centre Assessment enables I.T and data centre managers to accurately benchmark the Power Usage Effectiveness** (PUE), Data Centre Infrastructure Efficiency** (DCiE) and usage of the server room environment through direct analysis of power and energy consumption.

** Data Centre Infrastructure Efficiency / Power Usage Effectiveness are industry recognised standards for data centre room efficiency measurement introduced by the Green Grid.

Power Usage is calculated by dividing the Total Facility Power by I.T. Equipment Power.

and its reciprocal, the DCiE is defined as:

Data Centre Infrastructure Efficiency (DCIE) is calculated by dividing I.T. Equipment Power by Total Facility Power.

I.T Equipment Power - This includes the load associated with all of the I.T equipment, such as compute, storage and network equipment, along with supplemental equipment such as KVM switches, monitors, and workstations/laptops used to monitor or control the data centre.

Total Facility Power - This includes everything that supports the I.T equipment load such as:

• Total I.T equipment power
• Power delivery components such as UPS, switch gear, generators, PDUs batteries, and distribution losses external to I.T equipment
• Cooling systems components such as chillers, computer room air conditioning units, direct expansion air handler (DX) units, pumps, and cooling towers
• Other misc. loads including lighting, BMS panels etc.

PUE Data Centre Assessment Deployment benefits;

• Assists in reducing energy consumption, minimising environmental and economic impacts associated with excessive energy use
• Confirmation of Data Centre DCiE / PUE efficiency ratings
• Accurate proof of the effectiveness of any “claimed” energy efficiency deployments throughout the life of the facility
• Measurement of energy consumption, critical load trends, power quality and response time of emergency power plant
• Opportunities to improve a server room or data centres operational efficiency
• Shows how a server room or data centre compares to other internal or competitive facilities.

Minimum recommended frequency: Yearly

Data Centre PUE Audit Report Schedule of Works

Detailed Audit Schedule of Works

1. Assess existing power configuration to determine measurement points and to create the Measurement Plan. Note there will be multiple measurement points required to undertake the PUE Assessment.
2. Agree monitoring period, typically this will be over a 7-day period.
3. Electrician to attend site to connect CT clamps and install recorder equipment as per the agreed measurement plan.
4. Electrician to attend site to disconnect CT clamps and remove recorder information.
5. Engineer to download recorded information, analyse and generate PUE Data Centre reading report with associated recommendations.

Note

Where clients prefer a permanent Energy / Power Usage Effectiveness measurement capability Workspace Technology recommends the deployment of our EcoMeasure solution. EcoMeasure will provide ongoing 24×365 measurement of PUE, DCiE and general room electrical performance information required for reporting energy efficiency statistics or assessing the impact of new technology or infrastructure changes.

Click here to view our PUE Survey Schedule.

For more information on our full range of PUE data centre consultancy & audit services please contact our Sales Team on 0121 354 4894, or send us a message.