By Carolyn Duffy Marsan, Network World
1. Turn off excess air conditioning units
You don't need to keep your computer room temperature below 68 degrees. The EPA turned off six of the 14 air conditioning units in its National Computer Center and was still able to meet the needs of its computer equipment. This move helped reduce NCC's annual energy consumption by more than 9%.
2. Change your light bulbs
The EPA's National Computer Center has green lighting features including high-efficiency fluorescent lighting, motion sensors and daylight dimming sensors, which helped reduce the electricity used for lighting by 70% compared to a similar facility with conventional lighting.
3. Buy Energy Star equipment
The EPA's Energy Star program puts a seal of approval on computers, peripherals and many other appliances that meet its guidelines for energy efficiency. Formed in 1992, the Energy Star program now rates office buildings for energy efficiency and offers tools for benchmarking the energy usage of commercial buildings.
4. Install screen savers on all computers
Screen savers allow your systems to hibernate when not in use, which saves electricity. Additional savings can come from software that allows help desk workers to fix computers remotely, which eliminates repair-related travel.
5. Consolidate servers and storage devices
Use virtualization technology to reduce the number of servers that you operate. Storage area networks use up less electricity than direct-attached storage.
6. Recycle
Buy IT equipment that can be recycled and recycle it. This reduces the electricity used in disposal of your IT infrastructure.
7. Cut back on travel
The EPA has rolled out video conferencing to reduce travel between its 100-plus facilities nationwide and allows employees to work from home. Other ways of reducing transportation-related energy usage by employees is locating your facility near public transit, providing bike racks and offering preferential parking for carpools and hybrid vehicles.
8. Go carbon neutral
Data center operators can offset their greenhouse gas emissions by purchasing renewable energy certificates from their electric companies. These certificates support the generation of green power from wind, solar or biomass. The EPA buys 100 kilowatt hours of green power each year to offset 100% of the electricity consumption of its National Computer Center.
9. Consider solar power
The solar panel on the roof of the EPA's National Computer Center generates more than 100,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year. The roof converts the sun's light into electrical energy and feeds it directly to the building to supplement the main power utility. The solar roof generates 5% of the facility's power.
10. Don't forget about water
The Air Force Weather Agency is cutting back on water usage at its new data center at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, which in turn reduces the amount of electricity required to supply water to the base. Drought-resistant landscaping, waterless urinals and storm water retention systems are helping the Air Force save 200,000 gallons of water a year.
See Also :
6.10.2008
10 Ways to Slash Your IT Department's Electric Bill
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