January 30, 2003
Changing Cooling Requirements leave many Data Centers at risk

Provided by: W. Pitt Turner IV, PE and Edward C. Koplin, PEBased on a number of recent mechanical system audits, we find many data centers are misusing the cooling equipment already installed, have more equipment than is necessary to provide redundancy, and waste significant amounts of energy. The most pressing mechanical issue we see facing data centers is a lack of integration between heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) components and a related lack of understanding among HVAC professionals about the unique and changing thermal-dynamic requirements of computer hardware environments.