Data Center Operating Temperature: The Sweet Spot
A Dell Technical White Paper
Date
:
6/21/2011
Run your data center at a sweet spot operating temperature. Dell and American Power Conversion (APC) conducted a study and found that running data center servers at the maximum operating temperature of 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) may not be the most efficient way to conserve energy in a compressor-based cooling environment. IT equipment is quite efficient at exhausting its own heat by using internal fans, but at a certain temperature, the increase in fan energy consumption can be greater than the energy saved in the cooling process.
If you’re using compressors for cooling, the ideal operating temperature to run your servers and reduce energy use is somewhere between 24 and 26 degrees Celsius (75 and 79 degrees Fahrenheit). Equipment with improved thermal design can even operate optimally at temperatures slightly above 27 degrees Celsius (80 degrees Fahrenheit). Using economizers, which bypass the refrigeration cycle and make use of cooler outside air, can also help facilities reduce energy use and save money.
Whether you are using economizers or not, Dell strongly recommends using containment as a strategy to maintain a consistent temperature, which enables higher facility set points.
If you’re using compressors for cooling, the ideal operating temperature to run your servers and reduce energy use is somewhere between 24 and 26 degrees Celsius (75 and 79 degrees Fahrenheit). Equipment with improved thermal design can even operate optimally at temperatures slightly above 27 degrees Celsius (80 degrees Fahrenheit). Using economizers, which bypass the refrigeration cycle and make use of cooler outside air, can also help facilities reduce energy use and save money.
Whether you are using economizers or not, Dell strongly recommends using containment as a strategy to maintain a consistent temperature, which enables higher facility set points.