Data Center Power Usage

Data center power usage refers to the total amount of electrical energy consumed by a data center, including IT equipment, cooling systems, lighting, and other supporting infrastructure. Power usage is a crucial factor in the overall operational efficiency, cost management, and sustainability efforts of a data center. Properly managing power consumption not only supports the uptime and efficiency of the facility but also helps in reducing operational costs and minimizing environmental impact.

Understanding Power Usage Components

The majority of a data center’s energy consumption comes from a combination of IT equipment and the systems needed to support and cool it. Each of these components plays a significant role in the overall power usage, and understanding how they contribute helps in optimizing energy consumption.

• IT equipment. Servers, storage devices, and networking equipment are the primary consumers of electricity in a data center. These components are responsible for running applications, processing data, and supporting communications. Managing IT power consumption involves strategies like workload optimization and server virtualization, which allow multiple virtual machines to run on fewer physical servers, thereby reducing the overall power demand.
• Cooling systems. As IT equipment generates substantial heat, effective cooling becomes essential to maintain optimal operating conditions. Cooling systems, including air conditioning units, liquid cooling setups, and fans, are major contributors to power usage in a data center. In fact, cooling often accounts for a significant percentage of total energy consumption. Efficient cooling strategies such as hot and cold aisle containment, free cooling (using outside air), and energy-efficient air conditioning can greatly reduce the energy needed to keep the facility cool.
• Power distribution systems. These systems provide reliable power to data center equipment. Rack PDUs, floor PDUs, UPS units, and backup generators are key components. Redundant power paths are often used to prevent downtime in the event of a failure, which means additional power resources are necessary to maintain a reliable supply.
• Lighting and auxiliary systems. In addition to the core systems above, data centers require power for lighting, security systems, and other auxiliary needs. Although the power used by these components is relatively minor compared to IT and cooling systems, optimizing energy use here can still lead to cost savings, especially when energy-efficient lighting solutions are used and motion sensors are implemented to reduce unnecessary lighting.

Data Center Power Usage Best Practices

To ensure reliable and efficient power usage, data centers should consider:

• Monitor power usage. Continuously track power consumption using tools like intelligent rack PDUs and Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) software to identify inefficiencies and optimize energy usage.
• Implement redundancy. Use redundant power distribution paths (e.g., N+1 and 2N) to reduce the risk of downtime and avoid single points of failure.
• Balance loads. Distribute power evenly across circuits and phases to avoid overloading any one area, providing efficient power usage and reducing the risk of failure.
• Use high-efficiency equipment. Choose energy-efficient PDUs, UPSs, and equipment that reduce overall power consumption and help maintain optimal operating temperatures.
• Perform regular maintenance and testing. Periodically inspect and test power systems, including PDUs, UPSs, and backup generators, to ensure proper functionality and mitigate the risk of unexpected downtime.
• Leverage scalability. Plan for future growth by selecting scalable power distribution systems that can easily accommodate additional equipment or higher power demands.

Simplify Data Center Power Management with DCIM Software

Data center power must be effectively managed to maintain uptime and maximize the utilization of existing capacity. DCIM software is commonly used to monitor and manage power in the data center.

Modern DCIM software provides:

• Complete data center power monitoring. Monitor your multi-branded rack PDUs, RPPs, floor PDUs, busways, UPSs, meters, and branch circuits in a centralized tool.
• Automatic, dynamic, and interactive single-line diagrams. Easily view and drill down into detailed information on your power infrastructure with real-time overlays showing usage versus capacity. This helps improve uptime by optimizing power chain planning and enabling faster troubleshooting.
• Centralized busway management. Remotely visualize your busways and tap boxes in 3D, while collecting live power measurements from the outlets and end feeds. You can use this data to make informed power and capacity planning decisions and centralize alerts to prevent costly downtime.
• Live interactive panel schedules. Track actual versus budgeted power for all circuits and mains, manage circuit breaker states, and monitor the customers of each circuit. Gain insights into phase loads, phase balancing, and track circuit destinations with interactive drilldown capabilities.
• UPS monitoring and management. Centrally track all UPS assets across racks and locations, manage battery maintenance schedules, and monitor key statistics like run time remaining, battery health, and capacity utilization. Receive alerts when the UPS loses commercial power.
• Stranded power capacity reporting. Find and use underutilized power capacity to delay spending millions to build your next data center.
• Remote power control. Control power to multiple power supplies with a single click. Eliminate trips to the data center, saving time and money, while improving MTTR and uptime by restoring services quickly
• Trend charts and reports for uptime, capacity, and failover. Leverage power dashboard charts and reports such as circuit breaker capacity reports, power failover redundancy reports, actual vs. budgeted power capacity usage, and trending load by data center, room, rack, or customer.

Want to see how Sunbird’s world-leading DCIM software makes it easy to monitor and manage your data center power distribution infrastructure? Get your free test drive today.